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 commands, and
  26 "man git-commandname" for documentation of each command.  CVS users may
  27 also want to read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].  See
  28 the link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] for a more in-depth
  29 introduction.
  30
  31 The '<command>' is either a name of a Git command (see below) or an alias
  32 as defined in the configuration file (see linkgit:git-config[1]).
  33
  34 Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest git
  35 documentation can be viewed at
  36 `http://git-htmldocs.googlecode.com/git/git.html`.
  37
  38 ifdef::stalenotes[]
  39 [NOTE]
  40 ============
  41
  42 You are reading the documentation for the latest (possibly
  43 unreleased) version of git, that is available from 'master'
  44 branch of the `git.git` repository.
  45 Documentation for older releases are available here:
  46
  47 * link:v1.7.12/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12]
  48
  49 * release notes for
  50   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  51
  52 * link:v1.7.11.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.5]
  53
  54 * release notes for
  55   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  56   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  57   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  58   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  59   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  60   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
  61
  62 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
  63
  64 * release notes for
  65   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
  66   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
  67   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
  68   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
  69   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
  70   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
  71
  72 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
  73
  74 * release notes for
  75   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
  76   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
  77   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
  78   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
  79   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
  80   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
  81   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
  82   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
  83
  84 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
  85
  86 * release notes for
  87   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
  88   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
  89   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
  90   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
  91   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
  92   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
  93   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
  94
  95 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
  96
  97 * release notes for
  98   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
  99   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 100   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 101   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 102   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 103   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 104   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 105   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 106
 107 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 108
 109 * release notes for
 110   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 111   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 112   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 113   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 114   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 115   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 116   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 117
 118 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 119
 120 * release notes for
 121   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 122   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 123   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 124   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 125   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 126
 127 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 128
 129 * release notes for
 130   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 131   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 132   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 133   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 134   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 135   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 136
 137 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 138
 139 * release notes for
 140   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 141   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 142   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 143   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 144   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 145   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 146
 147 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 148
 149 * release notes for
 150   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 151   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 152   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 153   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 154   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 155   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 156
 157 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 158
 159 * release notes for
 160   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 161   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 162   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 163   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 164   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 165
 166 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 167
 168 * release notes for
 169   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 170   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 171   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 172   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 173   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 174   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 175   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 176   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 177   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 178   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 179
 180 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 181
 182 * release notes for
 183   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 184   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 185   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 186   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 187
 188 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 189
 190 * release notes for
 191   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 192   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 193   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 194   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 195   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 196   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 197   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 198   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 199   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 200   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 201
 202 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 203
 204 * release notes for
 205   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 206   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 207   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 208   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 209   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 210   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 211
 212 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 213
 214 * release notes for
 215   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 216   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 217   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 218   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 219   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 220
 221 * release notes for
 222   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 223   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 224   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 225   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 226   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 227   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 228
 229 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 230
 231 * release notes for
 232   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 233   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 234   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 235   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 236
 237 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 238
 239 * release notes for
 240   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 241   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 242   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 243   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 244   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 245   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 246   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 247
 248 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 249
 250 * release notes for
 251   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 252   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 253   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 254   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 255   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 256   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 257   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 258
 259 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 260
 261 * release notes for
 262   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 263   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 264   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 265   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 266   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 267   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 268   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 269
 270 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 271
 272 * release notes for
 273   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 274   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 275   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 276   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 277   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 278   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 279   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 280   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 281
 282 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 283
 284 * release notes for
 285   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 286   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 287   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 288   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 289   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 290   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 291   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 292   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 293   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 294
 295 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 296
 297 * release notes for
 298   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 299   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 300   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 301   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 302   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 303   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 304
 305 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 306
 307 * release notes for
 308   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 309   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 310   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 311   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 312   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 313   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 314   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 315
 316 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 317
 318 * release notes for
 319   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 320   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 321   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 322   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 323   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 324   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 325   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 326
 327 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 328   link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 329   link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 330   link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 331
 332 ============
 333
 334 endif::stalenotes[]
 335
 336 OPTIONS
 337 -------
 338 --version::
 339         Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 340
 341 --help::
 342         Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 343         commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 344         available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
 345         option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 346 +
 347 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 348 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 349 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 350 help ...`.
 351
 352 -c <name>=<value>::
 353         Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 354         given will override values from configuration files.
 355         The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 356         'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 357
 358 --exec-path[=<path>]::
 359         Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
 360         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 361         environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 362         the current setting and then exit.
 363
 364 --html-path::
 365         Print the path, without trailing slash, where git's HTML
 366         documentation is installed and exit.
 367
 368 --man-path::
 369         Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 370         this version of git and exit.
 371
 372 --info-path::
 373         Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 374         version of git are installed and exit.
 375
 376 -p::
 377 --paginate::
 378         Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 379         output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 380         configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 381         below).
 382
 383 --no-pager::
 384         Do not pipe git output into a pager.
 385
 386 --git-dir=<path>::
 387         Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 388         setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 389         path or relative path to current working directory.
 390
 391 --work-tree=<path>::
 392         Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 393         or a path relative to the current working directory.
 394         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 395         environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 396         variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 397         more detailed discussion).
 398
 399 --namespace=<path>::
 400         Set the git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 401         details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 402         variable.
 403
 404 --bare::
 405         Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 406         environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 407         directory.
 408
 409 --no-replace-objects::
 410         Do not use replacement refs to replace git objects. See
 411         linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 412
 413
 414 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 415 ---------------------
 416
 417 See the references above to get started using git.  The following is
 418 probably more detail than necessary for a first-time user.
 419
 420 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 421 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 422 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
 423
 424 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 425
 426 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 427 examples.
 428
 429 The internals are documented in the
 430 link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
 431
 432 GIT COMMANDS
 433 ------------
 434
 435 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 436 ("plumbing") commands.
 437
 438 High-level commands (porcelain)
 439 -------------------------------
 440
 441 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 442 ancillary user utilities.
 443
 444 Main porcelain commands
 445 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 446
 447 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 448
 449 Ancillary Commands
 450 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 451 Manipulators:
 452
 453 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 454
 455 Interrogators:
 456
 457 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 458
 459
 460 Interacting with Others
 461 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 462
 463 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 464 people via patch over e-mail.
 465
 466 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 467
 468
 469 Low-level commands (plumbing)
 470 -----------------------------
 471
 472 Although git includes its
 473 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 474 development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 475 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 476 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 477
 478 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 479 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 480 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 481 primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 482 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 483 end user experience.
 484
 485 The following description divides
 486 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 487 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 488 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 489 repositories.
 490
 491
 492 Manipulation commands
 493 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 494
 495 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 496
 497
 498 Interrogation commands
 499 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 500
 501 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 502
 503 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 504 the working tree.
 505
 506
 507 Synching repositories
 508 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 509
 510 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 511
 512 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 513 typically do not use them directly.
 514
 515 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 516
 517
 518 Internal helper commands
 519 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 520
 521 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 522 users typically do not use them directly.
 523
 524 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 525
 526
 527 Configuration Mechanism
 528 -----------------------
 529
 530 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
 531 is used to hold per-repository configuration options.  It is a
 532 simple text file modeled after `.ini` format familiar to some
 533 people.  Here is an example:
 534
 535 ------------
 536 #
 537 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 538 #
 539
 540 ; core variables
 541 [core]
 542         ; Don't trust file modes
 543         filemode = false
 544
 545 ; user identity
 546 [user]
 547         name = "Junio C Hamano"
 548         email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
 549
 550 ------------
 551
 552 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 553 their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 554 list.
 555
 556
 557 Identifier Terminology
 558 ----------------------
 559 <object>::
 560         Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 561
 562 <blob>::
 563         Indicates a blob object name.
 564
 565 <tree>::
 566         Indicates a tree object name.
 567
 568 <commit>::
 569         Indicates a commit object name.
 570
 571 <tree-ish>::
 572         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 573         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 574         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 575         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 576
 577 <commit-ish>::
 578         Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 579         command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 580         operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 581         <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 582
 583 <type>::
 584         Indicates that an object type is required.
 585         Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 586
 587 <file>::
 588         Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 589         root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 590
 591 Symbolic Identifiers
 592 --------------------
 593 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 594 symbolic notation:
 595
 596 HEAD::
 597         indicates the head of the current branch.
 598
 599 <tag>::
 600         a valid tag 'name'
 601         (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 602
 603 <head>::
 604         a valid head 'name'
 605         (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 606
 607 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 608 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 609
 610
 611 File/Directory Structure
 612 ------------------------
 613
 614 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 615
 616 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 617
 618 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 619 `$GIT_DIR`.
 620
 621
 622 Terminology
 623 -----------
 624 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 625
 626
 627 Environment Variables
 628 ---------------------
 629 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
 630
 631 The git Repository
 632 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 633 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
 634 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 635 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 636
 637 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 638         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 639         index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 640         is used.
 641
 642 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 643         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 644         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 645         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 646         directory is used.
 647
 648 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 649         Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
 650         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 651         specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 652         of git object directories which can be used to search for git
 653         objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 654
 655 'GIT_DIR'::
 656         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 657         specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 658         for the base of the repository.
 659
 660 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 661         Set the path to the working tree.  The value will not be
 662         used in combination with repositories found automatically in
 663         a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
 664         This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 665         option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 666
 667 'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 668         Set the git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 669         The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 670
 671 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 672         This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.
 673         If set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir
 674         up into while looking for a repository directory.
 675         It will not exclude the current working directory or
 676         a GIT_DIR set on the command line or in the environment.
 677         (Useful for excluding slow-loading network directories.)
 678
 679 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 680         When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 681         directory, git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 682         directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 683         does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 684         can be set to true to tell git not to stop at filesystem
 685         boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 686         an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 687         command line.
 688
 689 git Commits
 690 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 691 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 692 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 693 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 694 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 695 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 696 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 697 'EMAIL'::
 698         see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 699
 700 git Diffs
 701 ~~~~~~~~~
 702 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 703         Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 704         number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 705         This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 706         value passed on the git diff command line.
 707
 708 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 709         When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 710         program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 711         described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 712         'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 713
 714         path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 715 +
 716 where:
 717
 718         <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 719                          contents of <old|new>,
 720         <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
 721         <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 722 +
 723 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 724 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 725 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 726 index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 727 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 728 +
 729 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 730 parameter, <path>.
 731
 732 other
 733 ~~~~~
 734 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 735         A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 736         the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 737         See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 738
 739 'GIT_PAGER'::
 740         This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 741         to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
 742         a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 743         linkgit:git-config[1].
 744
 745 'GIT_EDITOR'::
 746         This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 747         It is used by several git commands when, on interactive mode,
 748         an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 749         and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 750
 751 'GIT_SSH'::
 752         If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 753         and 'git push' will use this command instead
 754         of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 755         The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
 756         the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
 757         shell command to execute on that remote system.
 758 +
 759 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 760 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 761 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 762 +
 763 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 764 personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 765 for further details.
 766
 767 'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 768         If this environment variable is set, then git commands which need to
 769         acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 770         will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 771         and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 772         option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 773
 774 'GIT_FLUSH'::
 775         If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 776         as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 777         and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
 778         after each commit-oriented record have been flushed.   If this
 779         variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 780         using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 781         not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 782         based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 783
 784 'GIT_TRACE'::
 785         If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 786         is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
 787         stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 788         execution and external command execution.
 789         If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 790         and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
 791         value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 792         trace messages into this file descriptor.
 793         Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 794         (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
 795         as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 796         into it.
 797
 798 Discussion[[Discussion]]
 799 ------------------------
 800
 801 More detail on the following is available from the
 802 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 803 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 804
 805 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 806 subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 807 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 808 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 809 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 810 as tags and branch heads.
 811
 812 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 813 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 814 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 815 and some number of parent commits.
 816
 817 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 818 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 819 represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 820 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 821
 822 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
 823 written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 824 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 825 just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 826 purpose.
 827
 828 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 829 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 830
 831 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 832 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 833 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
 834 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA1 names of
 835 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 836 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 837
 838 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 839 path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 840 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 841 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 842 corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 843 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 844 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 845 content stored in the index.
 846
 847 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 848 for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 849 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 850
 851 Authors
 852 -------
 853 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 854 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the git mailing list
 855 <git@vger.kernel.org>. For a more complete list of contributors, see
 856 http://git-scm.com/about. If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 857 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 858 the authors for specific parts of the project.
 859
 860 Reporting Bugs
 861 --------------
 862
 863 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 864 development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 865 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 866
 867 SEE ALSO
 868 --------
 869 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 870 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 871 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 872 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 873 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 874
 875 GIT
 876 ---
 877 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite