-GIT repository layout
+git repository layout
=====================
-v0.99.5, Sep 2005
You may find these things in your git repository (`.git`
directory for a repository associated with your working tree, or
-`'project'.git` directory for a public 'naked' repository).
+`'project'.git` directory for a public 'bare' repository).
objects::
Object store associated with this repository. Usually
. You can be using `objects/info/alternates` mechanism, or
`$GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES` mechanism to 'borrow'
objects from other object stores. A repository with this kind
-of incompete object store is not suitable to be published for
+of incomplete object store is not suitable to be published for
use with dumb transports but otherwise is OK as long as
`objects/info/alternates` points at the right object stores
it borrows from.
by default.
objects/info/alternates::
- This file records absolute filesystem paths of alternate
- object stores that this object store borrows objects
- from, one pathname per line.
+ This file records paths to alternate object stores that
+ this object store borrows objects from, one pathname per
+ line. Note that not only native Git tools use it locally,
+ but the HTTP fetcher also tries to use it remotely; this
+ will usually work if you have relative paths (relative
+ to the object database, not to the repository!) in your
+ alternates file, but it will not work if you use absolute
+ paths unless the absolute path in filesystem and web URL
+ is the same. See also 'objects/info/http-alternates'.
+
+objects/info/http-alternates::
+ This file records URLs to alternate object stores that
+ this object store borrows objects from, to be used when
+ the repository is fetched over HTTP.
refs::
References are stored in subdirectories of this
object, or a tag object that points at a commit object).
HEAD::
- A symlink of the form `refs/heads/'name'` to point at
- the current branch, if exists. It does not mean much if
- the repository is not associated with any working tree
- (i.e. 'naked' repository), but a valid git repository
- *must* have such a symlink here. It is legal if the
- named branch 'name' does not (yet) exist.
+ A symref (see glossary) to the `refs/heads/` namespace
+ describing the currently active branch. It does not mean
+ much if the repository is not associated with any working tree
+ (i.e. a 'bare' repository), but a valid git repository
+ *must* have the HEAD file; some porcelains may use it to
+ guess the designated "default" branch of the repository
+ (usually 'master'). It is legal if the named branch
+ 'name' does not (yet) exist. In some legacy setups, it is
+ a symbolic link instead of a symref that points at the current
+ branch.
branches::
A slightly deprecated way to store shorthands to be used
hooks::
Hooks are customization scripts used by various git
commands. A handful of sample hooks are installed when
- `git init-db` is run, but all of them are disabled by
+ `git init` is run, but all of them are disabled by
default. To enable, they need to be made executable.
+ Read link:hooks.html[hooks] for more details about
+ each hook.
index::
The current index file for the repository. It is
- usually not found in a naked repository.
+ usually not found in a bare repository.
info::
Additional information about the repository is recorded
up-to-date if the repository is published for dumb
transports. The `git-receive-pack` command, which is
run on a remote repository when you `git push` into it,
- runs `hooks/update` hook to help you achive this.
+ runs `hooks/update` hook to help you achieve this.
info/grafts::
This file records fake commit ancestry information, to
listing their 40-byte hexadecimal object names separated
by a space and terminated by a newline.
-info/rev-cache::
- No higher-level tool currently takes advantage of this
- file, but it is generated when `git update-server-info`
- is run. It records the commit ancestry information of
- the commits in this repository in a concise binary
- format, and can be read with `git-show-rev-cache`.
-
info/exclude::
This file, by convention among Porcelains, stores the
- exclude pattern list. `git status` looks at it, but
- otherwise it is not looked at by any of the core GIT
- commands.
+ exclude pattern list. `.gitignore` is the per-directory
+ ignore file. `git status`, `git add`, `git rm` and `git
+ clean` look at it but the core git commands do not look
+ at it. See also: gitlink:git-ls-files[1] `--exclude-from`
+ and `--exclude-per-directory`.
remotes::
Stores shorthands to be used to give URL and default
refnames to interact with remote repository to `git
fetch`, `git pull` and `git push` commands.
+
+logs::
+ Records of changes made to refs are stored in this
+ directory. See the documentation on git-update-ref
+ for more information.
+
+logs/refs/heads/`name`::
+ Records all changes made to the branch tip named `name`.
+
+logs/refs/tags/`name`::
+ Records all changes made to the tag named `name`.