Documentation/git.txt

   1 git(7)
   2 ======
   3 v0.99.4, Aug 2005
   4
   5 NAME
   6 ----
   7 git - the stupid content tracker
   8
   9
  10 SYNOPSIS
  11 --------
  12 'git-<command>' <args>
  13
  14 DESCRIPTION
  15 -----------
  16
  17 This is reference information for the core git commands.
  18
  19 The Discussion section below contains much useful definition and
  20 clarification info - read that first.  And of the commands, I suggest
  21 reading link:git-update-cache.html[git-update-cache] and
  22 link:git-read-tree.html[git-read-tree] first - I wish I had!
  23
  24 David Greaves <david@dgreaves.com>
  25 08/05/05
  26
  27 Updated by Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net> on 2005-05-05 to
  28 reflect recent changes.
  29
  30 Commands Overview
  31 -----------------
  32 The git commands can helpfully be split into those that manipulate
  33 the repository, the cache and the working fileset, those that
  34 interrogate and compare them, and those that moves objects and
  35 references between repositories.
  36
  37 In addition, git itself comes with a spartan set of porcelain
  38 commands.  They are usable but are not meant to compete with real
  39 Porcelains.
  40
  41 There are also some ancilliary programs that can be viewed as useful
  42 aids for using the core commands but which are unlikely to be used by
  43 SCMs layered over git.
  44
  45 Manipulation commands
  46 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  47 link:git-checkout-cache.html[git-checkout-cache]::
  48         Copy files from the cache to the working directory
  49
  50 link:git-commit-tree.html[git-commit-tree]::
  51         Creates a new commit object
  52
  53 link:git-init-db.html[git-init-db]::
  54         Creates an empty git object database
  55
  56 link:git-merge-base.html[git-merge-base]::
  57         Finds as good a common ancestor as possible for a merge
  58
  59 link:git-mktag.html[git-mktag]::
  60         Creates a tag object
  61
  62 link:git-read-tree.html[git-read-tree]::
  63         Reads tree information into the directory cache
  64
  65 link:git-update-cache.html[git-update-cache]::
  66         Modifies the index or directory cache
  67
  68 link:git-hash-object.html[git-hash-object]::
  69         Computes the object ID from a file.
  70
  71 link:git-write-tree.html[git-write-tree]::
  72         Creates a tree from the current cache
  73
  74 Interrogation commands
  75 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  76 link:git-cat-file.html[git-cat-file]::
  77         Provide content or type information for repository objects
  78
  79 link:git-diff-cache.html[git-diff-cache]::
  80         Compares content and mode of blobs between the cache and repository
  81
  82 link:git-diff-files.html[git-diff-files]::
  83         Compares files in the working tree and the cache
  84
  85 link:git-diff-tree.html[git-diff-tree]::
  86         Compares the content and mode of blobs found via two tree objects
  87
  88 link:git-export.html[git-export]::
  89         Exports each commit and a diff against each of its parents
  90
  91 link:git-fsck-cache.html[git-fsck-cache]::
  92         Verifies the connectivity and validity of the objects in the database
  93
  94 link:git-ls-files.html[git-ls-files]::
  95         Information about files in the cache/working directory
  96
  97 link:git-ls-tree.html[git-ls-tree]::
  98         Displays a tree object in human readable form
  99
 100 link:git-merge-cache.html[git-merge-cache]::
 101         Runs a merge for files needing merging
 102
 103 link:git-rev-list.html[git-rev-list]::
 104         Lists commit objects in reverse chronological order
 105
 106 link:git-rev-tree.html[git-rev-tree]::
 107         Provides the revision tree for one or more commits
 108
 109 link:git-tar-tree.html[git-tar-tree]::
 110         Creates a tar archive of the files in the named tree
 111
 112 link:git-unpack-file.html[git-unpack-file]::
 113         Creates a temporary file with a blob's contents
 114
 115 link:git-var.html[git-var]::
 116         Displays a git logical variable
 117
 118 link:git-verify-pack.html[git-verify-pack]::
 119         Validates packed GIT archive files
 120
 121 The interrogate commands may create files - and you can force them to
 122 touch the working file set - but in general they don't
 123
 124
 125 Synching repositories
 126 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 127
 128 link:git-clone-script.html[git-clone-script]::
 129         Clones a repository into the current repository (user interface)
 130
 131 link:git-clone-pack.html[git-clone-pack]::
 132         Clones a repository into the current repository (engine
 133         for ssh and local transport)
 134
 135 link:git-http-pull.html[git-http-pull]::
 136         Downloads a remote GIT repository via HTTP
 137
 138 link:git-local-pull.html[git-local-pull]::
 139         Duplicates another GIT repository on a local system
 140
 141 link:git-ssh-pull.html[git-ssh-pull]::
 142         Pulls from a remote repository over ssh connection
 143
 144 link:git-send-pack.html[git-send-pack]::
 145         Pushes to a remote repository, intelligently.
 146
 147 link:git-receive-pack.html[git-receive-pack]::
 148         Invoked by 'git-send-pack' to receive what is pushed to it.
 149
 150 link:git-clone-pack.html[git-clone-pack]::
 151         Clones from a remote repository.
 152
 153 link:git-fetch-pack.html[git-fetch-pack]::
 154         Updates from a remote repository.
 155
 156 link:git-peek-remote.html[git-peek-remote]::
 157         Lists references on a remote repository using upload-pack protocol.
 158
 159 link:git-upload-pack.html[git-upload-pack]::
 160         Invoked by 'git-clone-pack' and 'git-fetch-pack' to push
 161         what are asked for.
 162
 163 link:git-update-server-info.html[git-update-server-info]::
 164         Updates auxiliary information on a dumb server to help
 165         clients discover references and packs on it.
 166
 167
 168 Porcelain-ish Commands
 169 ----------------------
 170 link:git-whatchanged.html[git-whatchanged]::
 171         Shows commit logs and differences they introduce.
 172
 173 link:git-log-script.html[git-log-script]::
 174         Shows commit logs.
 175
 176 link:git-shortlog.html[git-shortlog]::
 177         Summarizes 'git log' output.
 178
 179 link:git-status-script.html[git-status-script]::
 180         Shows the working tree status.
 181
 182 link:git-fetch-script.html[git-fetch-script]::
 183         Download from a remote repository via various protocols.
 184
 185 link:git-pull-script.html[git-pull-script]::
 186         Fetch from and merge with a remote repository.
 187
 188 link:git-commit-script.html[git-commit-script]::
 189         Record changes to the repository.
 190
 191
 192 Ancilliary Commands
 193 -------------------
 194 Manipulators:
 195
 196 link:git-apply-patch-script.html[git-apply-patch-script]::
 197         Sample script to apply the diffs from git-diff-*
 198
 199 link:git-convert-cache.html[git-convert-cache]::
 200         Converts old-style GIT repository
 201
 202 link:git-merge-one-file-script.html[git-merge-one-file-script]::
 203         The standard helper program to use with "git-merge-cache"
 204
 205 link:git-prune-script.html[git-prune-script]::
 206         Prunes all unreachable objects from the object database
 207
 208 link:git-resolve-script.html[git-resolve-script]::
 209         Script used to merge two trees
 210
 211 link:git-tag-script.html[git-tag-script]::
 212         An example script to create a tag object signed with GPG
 213
 214
 215 Interogators:
 216
 217 link:git-diff-helper.html[git-diff-helper]::
 218         Generates patch format output for git-diff-*
 219
 220 link:git-ssh-push.html[git-ssh-push]::
 221         Helper "server-side" program used by git-ssh-pull
 222
 223
 224
 225 Identifier Terminology
 226 ----------------------
 227 <object>::
 228         Indicates the sha1 identifier for any type of object
 229
 230 <blob>::
 231         Indicates a blob object sha1 identifier
 232
 233 <tree>::
 234         Indicates a tree object sha1 identifier
 235
 236 <commit>::
 237         Indicates a commit object sha1 identifier
 238
 239 <tree-ish>::
 240         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object sha1 identifier.  A
 241         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 242         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 243         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 244
 245 <type>::
 246         Indicates that an object type is required.
 247         Currently one of: blob/tree/commit/tag
 248
 249 <file>::
 250         Indicates a filename - always relative to the root of
 251         the tree structure GIT_INDEX_FILE describes.
 252
 253 Symbolic Identifiers
 254 --------------------
 255 Any git comand accepting any <object> can also use the following
 256 symbolic notation:
 257
 258 HEAD::
 259         indicates the head of the repository (ie the contents of
 260         `$GIT_DIR/HEAD`)
 261 <tag>::
 262         a valid tag 'name'+
 263         (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/<tag>`)
 264 <head>::
 265         a valid head 'name'+
 266         (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/<head>`)
 267 <snap>::
 268         a valid snapshot 'name'+
 269         (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/snap/<snap>`)
 270
 271
 272 File/Directory Structure
 273 ------------------------
 274 The git-core manipulates the following areas in the directory:
 275
 276  .git/         The base (overridden with $GIT_DIR)
 277    objects/    The object base (overridden with $GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY)
 278      ??/       'First 2 chars of object' directories.
 279      pack/     Packed archives.
 280
 281    refs/       Directories containing symbolic names for objects
 282                (each file contains the hex SHA1 + newline)
 283      heads/    Commits which are heads of various sorts
 284      tags/     Tags, by the tag name (or some local renaming of it)
 285      */        Any other subdirectory of refs/ can be used to store
 286                files similar to what are under refs/heads/.
 287    HEAD        Symlink to refs/heads/<current-branch-name>
 288
 289 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 290 GIT_DIR.
 291
 292 Terminology
 293 -----------
 294 Each line contains terms which you may see used interchangeably
 295
 296  object database, .git directory
 297  directory cache, index
 298  id, sha1, sha1-id, sha1 hash
 299  type, tag
 300
 301
 302 Environment Variables
 303 ---------------------
 304 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
 305
 306 The git Repository
 307 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 308 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
 309 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 310 git so take care if using Cogito etc
 311
 312 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 313         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 314         cache/index file. If not specified, the default of
 315         `$GIT_DIR/index` is used.
 316
 317 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 318         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 319         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 320         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 321         directory is used.
 322
 323 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 324         Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
 325         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 326         specifies a ":" seperated list of git object directories which
 327         can be used to search for git objects. New objects will not be
 328         written to these directories.
 329
 330 'GIT_DIR'::
 331         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it specifies
 332         a path to use instead of `./.git` for the base of the
 333         repository.
 334
 335 git Commits
 336 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 337 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 338 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 339 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 340 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 341 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 342         see link:git-commit-tree.html[git-commit-tree]
 343
 344 git Diffs
 345 ~~~~~~~~~
 346 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 347 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 348         see the "generating patches" section in :
 349         link:git-diff-cache.html[git-diff-cache];
 350         link:git-diff-files.html[git-diff-files];
 351         link:git-diff-tree.html[git-diff-tree]
 352
 353 Discussion
 354 ----------
 355 include::../README[]
 356
 357 Author
 358 ------
 359 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 360
 361 Documentation
 362 --------------
 363 Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 364
 365 GIT
 366 ---
 367 Part of the link:git.html[git] suite
 368