Documentation/git.txt

   1 git(1)
   2 ======
   3
   4 NAME
   5 ----
   6 git - the stupid content tracker
   7
   8
   9 SYNOPSIS
  10 --------
  11 [verse]
  12 'git' [--version] [--help] [-c <name>=<value>]
  13     [--exec-path[=<path>]] [--html-path] [--man-path] [--info-path]
  14     [-p|--paginate|--no-pager] [--no-replace-objects] [--bare]
  15     [--git-dir=<path>] [--work-tree=<path>] [--namespace=<name>]
  16     <command> [<args>]
  17
  18 DESCRIPTION
  19 -----------
  20 Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an
  21 unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations
  22 and full access to internals.
  23
  24 See linkgit:gittutorial[7] to get started, then see
  25 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git] for a useful minimum set of
  26 commands.  The link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] has a more
  27 in-depth introduction.
  28
  29 After you mastered the basic concepts, you can come back to this
  30 page to learn what commands Git offers.  You can learn more about
  31 individual Git commands with "git help command".  linkgit:gitcli[7]
  32 manual page gives you an overview of the command line command syntax.
  33
  34 Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest Git documentation
  35 can be viewed at `http://git-htmldocs.googlecode.com/git/git.html`.
  36
  37 ifdef::stalenotes[]
  38 [NOTE]
  39 ============
  40
  41 You are reading the documentation for the latest (possibly
  42 unreleased) version of Git, that is available from 'master'
  43 branch of the `git.git` repository.
  44 Documentation for older releases are available here:
  45
  46 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
  47
  48 * release notes for
  49   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
  50   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
  51   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
  52   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
  53   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
  54
  55 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
  56
  57 * release notes for
  58   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
  59   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
  60   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
  61   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
  62
  63 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
  64
  65 * release notes for
  66   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
  67   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  68   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  69   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  70   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  71   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  72   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  73
  74 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  75
  76 * release notes for
  77   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  78   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  79   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  80   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  81
  82 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  83
  84 * release notes for
  85   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  86   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  87   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  88   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  89   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  90
  91 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  92
  93 * release notes for
  94   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
  95   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  96   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  97   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  98   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  99   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
 100   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
 101   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
 102
 103 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
 104
 105 * release notes for
 106   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
 107   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
 108   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
 109   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
 110   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
 111   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
 112
 113 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
 114
 115 * release notes for
 116   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
 117   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 118   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 119   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 120   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 121   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 122   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 123   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 124
 125 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 126
 127 * release notes for
 128   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 129   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 130   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 131   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 132   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 133   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 134   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 135
 136 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 137
 138 * release notes for
 139   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 140   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 141   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 142   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 143   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 144   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 145   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 146   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 147
 148 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 149
 150 * release notes for
 151   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 152   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 153   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 154   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 155   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 156   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 157   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 158
 159 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 160
 161 * release notes for
 162   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 163   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 164   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 165   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 166   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 167
 168 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 169
 170 * release notes for
 171   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 172   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 173   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 174   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 175   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 176   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 177
 178 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 179
 180 * release notes for
 181   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 182   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 183   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 184   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 185   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 186   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 187
 188 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 189
 190 * release notes for
 191   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 192   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 193   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 194   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 195   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 196   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 197
 198 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 199
 200 * release notes for
 201   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 202   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 203   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 204   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 205   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 206
 207 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 208
 209 * release notes for
 210   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 211   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 212   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 213   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 214   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 215   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 216   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 217   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 218   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 219   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 220
 221 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 222
 223 * release notes for
 224   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 225   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 226   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 227   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 228
 229 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 230
 231 * release notes for
 232   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 233   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 234   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 235   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 236   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 237   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 238   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 239   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 240   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 241   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 242
 243 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 244
 245 * release notes for
 246   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 247   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 248   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 249   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 250   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 251   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 252
 253 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 254
 255 * release notes for
 256   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 257   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 258   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 259   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 260   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 261
 262 * release notes for
 263   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 264   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 265   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 266   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 267   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 268   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 269
 270 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 271
 272 * release notes for
 273   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 274   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 275   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 276   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 277
 278 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 279
 280 * release notes for
 281   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 282   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 283   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 284   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 285   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 286   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 287   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 288
 289 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 290
 291 * release notes for
 292   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 293   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 294   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 295   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 296   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 297   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 298   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 299
 300 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 301
 302 * release notes for
 303   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 304   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 305   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 306   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 307   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 308   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 309   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 310
 311 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 312
 313 * release notes for
 314   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 315   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 316   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 317   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 318   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 319   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 320   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 321   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 322
 323 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 324
 325 * release notes for
 326   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 327   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 328   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 329   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 330   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 331   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 332   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 333   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 334   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 335
 336 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 337
 338 * release notes for
 339   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 340   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 341   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 342   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 343   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 344   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 345
 346 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 347
 348 * release notes for
 349   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 350   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 351   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 352   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 353   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 354   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 355   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 356
 357 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 358
 359 * release notes for
 360   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 361   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 362   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 363   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 364   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 365   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 366   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 367
 368 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 369   link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 370   link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 371   link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 372
 373 ============
 374
 375 endif::stalenotes[]
 376
 377 OPTIONS
 378 -------
 379 --version::
 380         Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 381
 382 --help::
 383         Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 384         commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 385         available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
 386         option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 387 +
 388 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 389 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 390 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 391 help ...`.
 392
 393 -c <name>=<value>::
 394         Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 395         given will override values from configuration files.
 396         The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 397         'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 398
 399 --exec-path[=<path>]::
 400         Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
 401         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 402         environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 403         the current setting and then exit.
 404
 405 --html-path::
 406         Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
 407         documentation is installed and exit.
 408
 409 --man-path::
 410         Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 411         this version of Git and exit.
 412
 413 --info-path::
 414         Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 415         version of Git are installed and exit.
 416
 417 -p::
 418 --paginate::
 419         Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 420         output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 421         configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 422         below).
 423
 424 --no-pager::
 425         Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
 426
 427 --git-dir=<path>::
 428         Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 429         setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 430         path or relative path to current working directory.
 431
 432 --work-tree=<path>::
 433         Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 434         or a path relative to the current working directory.
 435         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 436         environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 437         variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 438         more detailed discussion).
 439
 440 --namespace=<path>::
 441         Set the Git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 442         details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 443         variable.
 444
 445 --bare::
 446         Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 447         environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 448         directory.
 449
 450 --no-replace-objects::
 451         Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
 452         linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 453
 454 --literal-pathspecs::
 455         Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
 456         equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
 457         variable to `1`.
 458
 459
 460 GIT COMMANDS
 461 ------------
 462
 463 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 464 ("plumbing") commands.
 465
 466 High-level commands (porcelain)
 467 -------------------------------
 468
 469 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 470 ancillary user utilities.
 471
 472 Main porcelain commands
 473 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 474
 475 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 476
 477 Ancillary Commands
 478 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 479 Manipulators:
 480
 481 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 482
 483 Interrogators:
 484
 485 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 486
 487
 488 Interacting with Others
 489 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 490
 491 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 492 people via patch over e-mail.
 493
 494 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 495
 496
 497 Low-level commands (plumbing)
 498 -----------------------------
 499
 500 Although Git includes its
 501 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 502 development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 503 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 504 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 505
 506 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 507 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 508 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 509 primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 510 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 511 end user experience.
 512
 513 The following description divides
 514 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 515 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 516 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 517 repositories.
 518
 519
 520 Manipulation commands
 521 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 522
 523 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 524
 525
 526 Interrogation commands
 527 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 528
 529 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 530
 531 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 532 the working tree.
 533
 534
 535 Synching repositories
 536 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 537
 538 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 539
 540 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 541 typically do not use them directly.
 542
 543 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 544
 545
 546 Internal helper commands
 547 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 548
 549 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 550 users typically do not use them directly.
 551
 552 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 553
 554
 555 Configuration Mechanism
 556 -----------------------
 557
 558 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 559 repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 560 like this:
 561
 562 ------------
 563 #
 564 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 565 #
 566
 567 ; core variables
 568 [core]
 569         ; Don't trust file modes
 570         filemode = false
 571
 572 ; user identity
 573 [user]
 574         name = "Junio C Hamano"
 575         email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 576
 577 ------------
 578
 579 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 580 their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 581 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 582
 583
 584 Identifier Terminology
 585 ----------------------
 586 <object>::
 587         Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 588
 589 <blob>::
 590         Indicates a blob object name.
 591
 592 <tree>::
 593         Indicates a tree object name.
 594
 595 <commit>::
 596         Indicates a commit object name.
 597
 598 <tree-ish>::
 599         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 600         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 601         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 602         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 603
 604 <commit-ish>::
 605         Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 606         command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 607         operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 608         <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 609
 610 <type>::
 611         Indicates that an object type is required.
 612         Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 613
 614 <file>::
 615         Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 616         root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 617
 618 Symbolic Identifiers
 619 --------------------
 620 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 621 symbolic notation:
 622
 623 HEAD::
 624         indicates the head of the current branch.
 625
 626 <tag>::
 627         a valid tag 'name'
 628         (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 629
 630 <head>::
 631         a valid head 'name'
 632         (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 633
 634 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 635 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 636
 637
 638 File/Directory Structure
 639 ------------------------
 640
 641 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 642
 643 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 644
 645 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 646 `$GIT_DIR`.
 647
 648
 649 Terminology
 650 -----------
 651 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 652
 653
 654 Environment Variables
 655 ---------------------
 656 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
 657
 658 The Git Repository
 659 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 660 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
 661 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 662 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 663
 664 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 665         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 666         index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 667         is used.
 668
 669 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 670         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 671         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 672         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 673         directory is used.
 674
 675 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 676         Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
 677         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 678         specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 679         of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
 680         objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 681
 682 'GIT_DIR'::
 683         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 684         specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 685         for the base of the repository.
 686         The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 687
 688 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 689         Set the path to the root of the working tree.
 690         This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 691         option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 692
 693 'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 694         Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 695         The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 696
 697 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 698         This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 699         set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
 700         into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 701         excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 702         exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 703         command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 704         the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 705         might be present in order to compare them with the current
 706         directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 707         can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 708         subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 709         e.g.,
 710         'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 711
 712 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 713         When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 714         directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 715         directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 716         does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 717         can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
 718         boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 719         an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 720         command line.
 721
 722 Git Commits
 723 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 724 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 725 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 726 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 727 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 728 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 729 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 730 'EMAIL'::
 731         see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 732
 733 Git Diffs
 734 ~~~~~~~~~
 735 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 736         Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 737         number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 738         This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 739         value passed on the Git diff command line.
 740
 741 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 742         When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 743         program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 744         described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 745         'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 746
 747         path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 748 +
 749 where:
 750
 751         <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 752                          contents of <old|new>,
 753         <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
 754         <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 755 +
 756 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 757 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 758 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 759 index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 760 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 761 +
 762 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 763 parameter, <path>.
 764
 765 other
 766 ~~~~~
 767 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 768         A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 769         the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 770         See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 771
 772 'GIT_PAGER'::
 773         This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 774         to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
 775         a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 776         linkgit:git-config[1].
 777
 778 'GIT_EDITOR'::
 779         This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 780         It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
 781         an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 782         and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 783
 784 'GIT_SSH'::
 785         If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 786         and 'git push' will use this command instead
 787         of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 788         The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 789         four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 790         from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 791         remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 792         the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 793         than the default SSH port.
 794 +
 795 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 796 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 797 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 798 +
 799 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 800 personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 801 for further details.
 802
 803 'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 804         If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
 805         acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 806         will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 807         and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 808         option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 809
 810 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 811         Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 812         `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 813         be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 814         predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 815         temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 816         waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 817
 818 'GIT_FLUSH'::
 819         If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 820         as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 821         'git check-attr', 'git check-ignore', and 'git whatchanged' will
 822         force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
 823         flushed. If this
 824         variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 825         using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 826         not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 827         based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 828
 829 'GIT_TRACE'::
 830         If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 831         is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
 832         stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 833         execution and external command execution.
 834         If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 835         and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
 836         value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 837         trace messages into this file descriptor.
 838         Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 839         (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
 840         as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 841         into it.
 842
 843 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
 844         If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
 845         the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
 846         access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
 847         recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
 848         pack-related performance problems.
 849
 850 'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
 851         If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
 852         coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
 853         debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
 854         is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
 855
 856 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
 857         Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 858         pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
 859         running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
 860         for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
 861         glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
 862         literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
 863         `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
 864
 865
 866 Discussion[[Discussion]]
 867 ------------------------
 868
 869 More detail on the following is available from the
 870 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 871 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 872
 873 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 874 subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 875 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 876 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 877 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 878 as tags and branch heads.
 879
 880 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 881 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 882 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 883 and some number of parent commits.
 884
 885 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 886 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 887 represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 888 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 889
 890 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
 891 written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 892 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 893 just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 894 purpose.
 895
 896 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 897 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 898
 899 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 900 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 901 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
 902 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA-1 names of
 903 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 904 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 905
 906 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 907 path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 908 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 909 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 910 corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 911 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 912 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 913 content stored in the index.
 914
 915 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 916 for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 917 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 918
 919 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 920 ---------------------
 921
 922 See the references in the "description" section to get started
 923 using Git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 924 for a first-time user.
 925
 926 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 927 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 928 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
 929
 930 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 931
 932 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 933 examples.
 934
 935 The internals are documented in the
 936 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
 937
 938 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 939 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 940
 941
 942 Authors
 943 -------
 944 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 945 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
 946 <git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 947 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 948
 949 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 950 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 951 the authors for specific parts of the project.
 952
 953 Reporting Bugs
 954 --------------
 955
 956 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 957 development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 958 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 959
 960 SEE ALSO
 961 --------
 962 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 963 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 964 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 965 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 966 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 967
 968 GIT
 969 ---
 970 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite