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://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/`.
  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:v1.7.11.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.6]
  48
  49 * release notes for
  50   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  51   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  52   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  53   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  54   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  55   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  56   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
  57
  58 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
  59
  60 * release notes for
  61   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
  62   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
  63   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
  64   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
  65   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
  66   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
  67
  68 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
  69
  70 * release notes for
  71   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
  72   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
  73   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
  74   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
  75   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
  76   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
  77   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
  78   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
  79
  80 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
  81
  82 * release notes for
  83   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
  84   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
  85   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
  86   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
  87   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
  88   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
  89   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
  90
  91 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
  92
  93 * release notes for
  94   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
  95   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
  96   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
  97   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
  98   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
  99   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 100   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 101   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 102
 103 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 104
 105 * release notes for
 106   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 107   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 108   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 109   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 110   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 111   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 112   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 113
 114 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 115
 116 * release notes for
 117   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 118   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 119   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 120   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 121   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 122
 123 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 124
 125 * release notes for
 126   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 127   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 128   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 129   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 130   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 131   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 132
 133 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 134
 135 * release notes for
 136   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 137   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 138   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 139   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 140   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 141   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 142
 143 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 144
 145 * release notes for
 146   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 147   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 148   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 149   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 150   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 151   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 152
 153 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 154
 155 * release notes for
 156   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 157   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 158   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 159   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 160   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 161
 162 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 163
 164 * release notes for
 165   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 166   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 167   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 168   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 169   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 170   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 171   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 172   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 173   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 174   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 175
 176 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 177
 178 * release notes for
 179   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 180   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 181   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 182   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 183
 184 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 185
 186 * release notes for
 187   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 188   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 189   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 190   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 191   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 192   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 193   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 194   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 195   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 196   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 197
 198 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 199
 200 * release notes for
 201   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 202   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 203   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 204   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 205   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 206   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 207
 208 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 209
 210 * release notes for
 211   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 212   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 213   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 214   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 215   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 216
 217 * release notes for
 218   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 219   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 220   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 221   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 222   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 223   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 224
 225 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 226
 227 * release notes for
 228   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 229   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 230   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 231   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 232
 233 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 234
 235 * release notes for
 236   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 237   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 238   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 239   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 240   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 241   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 242   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 243
 244 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 245
 246 * release notes for
 247   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 248   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 249   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 250   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 251   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 252   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 253   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 254
 255 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 256
 257 * release notes for
 258   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 259   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 260   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 261   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 262   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 263   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 264   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 265
 266 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 267
 268 * release notes for
 269   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 270   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 271   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 272   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 273   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 274   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 275   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 276   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 277
 278 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 279
 280 * release notes for
 281   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 282   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 283   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 284   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 285   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 286   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 287   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 288   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 289   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 290
 291 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 292
 293 * release notes for
 294   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 295   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 296   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 297   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 298   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 299   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 300
 301 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 302
 303 * release notes for
 304   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 305   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 306   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 307   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 308   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 309   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 310   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 311
 312 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 313
 314 * release notes for
 315   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 316   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 317   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 318   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 319   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 320   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 321   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 322
 323 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 324   link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 325   link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 326   link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 327
 328 ============
 329
 330 endif::stalenotes[]
 331
 332 OPTIONS
 333 -------
 334 --version::
 335         Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 336
 337 --help::
 338         Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 339         commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 340         available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
 341         option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 342 +
 343 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 344 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 345 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 346 help ...`.
 347
 348 -c <name>=<value>::
 349         Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 350         given will override values from configuration files.
 351         The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 352         'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 353
 354 --exec-path[=<path>]::
 355         Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
 356         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 357         environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 358         the current setting and then exit.
 359
 360 --html-path::
 361         Print the path, without trailing slash, where git's HTML
 362         documentation is installed and exit.
 363
 364 --man-path::
 365         Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 366         this version of git and exit.
 367
 368 --info-path::
 369         Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 370         version of git are installed and exit.
 371
 372 -p::
 373 --paginate::
 374         Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 375         output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 376         configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 377         below).
 378
 379 --no-pager::
 380         Do not pipe git output into a pager.
 381
 382 --git-dir=<path>::
 383         Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 384         setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 385         path or relative path to current working directory.
 386
 387 --work-tree=<path>::
 388         Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 389         or a path relative to the current working directory.
 390         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 391         environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 392         variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 393         more detailed discussion).
 394
 395 --namespace=<path>::
 396         Set the git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 397         details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 398         variable.
 399
 400 --bare::
 401         Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 402         environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 403         directory.
 404
 405 --no-replace-objects::
 406         Do not use replacement refs to replace git objects. See
 407         linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 408
 409
 410 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 411 ---------------------
 412
 413 See the references above to get started using git.  The following is
 414 probably more detail than necessary for a first-time user.
 415
 416 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 417 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 418 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
 419
 420 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 421
 422 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 423 examples.
 424
 425 The internals are documented in the
 426 link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
 427
 428 GIT COMMANDS
 429 ------------
 430
 431 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 432 ("plumbing") commands.
 433
 434 High-level commands (porcelain)
 435 -------------------------------
 436
 437 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 438 ancillary user utilities.
 439
 440 Main porcelain commands
 441 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 442
 443 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 444
 445 Ancillary Commands
 446 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 447 Manipulators:
 448
 449 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 450
 451 Interrogators:
 452
 453 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 454
 455
 456 Interacting with Others
 457 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 458
 459 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 460 people via patch over e-mail.
 461
 462 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 463
 464
 465 Low-level commands (plumbing)
 466 -----------------------------
 467
 468 Although git includes its
 469 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 470 development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 471 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 472 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 473
 474 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 475 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 476 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 477 primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 478 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 479 end user experience.
 480
 481 The following description divides
 482 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 483 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 484 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 485 repositories.
 486
 487
 488 Manipulation commands
 489 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 490
 491 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 492
 493
 494 Interrogation commands
 495 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 496
 497 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 498
 499 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 500 the working tree.
 501
 502
 503 Synching repositories
 504 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 505
 506 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 507
 508 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 509 typically do not use them directly.
 510
 511 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 512
 513
 514 Internal helper commands
 515 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 516
 517 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 518 users typically do not use them directly.
 519
 520 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 521
 522
 523 Configuration Mechanism
 524 -----------------------
 525
 526 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
 527 is used to hold per-repository configuration options.  It is a
 528 simple text file modeled after `.ini` format familiar to some
 529 people.  Here is an example:
 530
 531 ------------
 532 #
 533 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 534 #
 535
 536 ; core variables
 537 [core]
 538         ; Don't trust file modes
 539         filemode = false
 540
 541 ; user identity
 542 [user]
 543         name = "Junio C Hamano"
 544         email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
 545
 546 ------------
 547
 548 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 549 their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 550 list.
 551
 552
 553 Identifier Terminology
 554 ----------------------
 555 <object>::
 556         Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 557
 558 <blob>::
 559         Indicates a blob object name.
 560
 561 <tree>::
 562         Indicates a tree object name.
 563
 564 <commit>::
 565         Indicates a commit object name.
 566
 567 <tree-ish>::
 568         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 569         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 570         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 571         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 572
 573 <commit-ish>::
 574         Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 575         command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 576         operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 577         <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 578
 579 <type>::
 580         Indicates that an object type is required.
 581         Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 582
 583 <file>::
 584         Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 585         root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 586
 587 Symbolic Identifiers
 588 --------------------
 589 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 590 symbolic notation:
 591
 592 HEAD::
 593         indicates the head of the current branch.
 594
 595 <tag>::
 596         a valid tag 'name'
 597         (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 598
 599 <head>::
 600         a valid head 'name'
 601         (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 602
 603 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 604 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 605
 606
 607 File/Directory Structure
 608 ------------------------
 609
 610 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 611
 612 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 613
 614 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 615 `$GIT_DIR`.
 616
 617
 618 Terminology
 619 -----------
 620 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 621
 622
 623 Environment Variables
 624 ---------------------
 625 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
 626
 627 The git Repository
 628 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 629 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
 630 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 631 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 632
 633 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 634         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 635         index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 636         is used.
 637
 638 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 639         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 640         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 641         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 642         directory is used.
 643
 644 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 645         Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
 646         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 647         specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 648         of git object directories which can be used to search for git
 649         objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 650
 651 'GIT_DIR'::
 652         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 653         specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 654         for the base of the repository.
 655
 656 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 657         Set the path to the working tree.  The value will not be
 658         used in combination with repositories found automatically in
 659         a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
 660         This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 661         option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 662
 663 'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 664         Set the git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 665         The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 666
 667 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 668         This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.
 669         If set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir
 670         up into while looking for a repository directory.
 671         It will not exclude the current working directory or
 672         a GIT_DIR set on the command line or in the environment.
 673         (Useful for excluding slow-loading network directories.)
 674
 675 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 676         When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 677         directory, git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 678         directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 679         does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 680         can be set to true to tell git not to stop at filesystem
 681         boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 682         an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 683         command line.
 684
 685 git Commits
 686 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 687 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 688 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 689 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 690 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 691 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 692 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 693 'EMAIL'::
 694         see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 695
 696 git Diffs
 697 ~~~~~~~~~
 698 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 699         Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 700         number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 701         This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 702         value passed on the git diff command line.
 703
 704 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 705         When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 706         program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 707         described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 708         'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 709
 710         path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 711 +
 712 where:
 713
 714         <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 715                          contents of <old|new>,
 716         <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
 717         <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 718 +
 719 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 720 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 721 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 722 index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 723 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 724 +
 725 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 726 parameter, <path>.
 727
 728 other
 729 ~~~~~
 730 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 731         A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 732         the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 733         See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 734
 735 'GIT_PAGER'::
 736         This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 737         to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
 738         a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 739         linkgit:git-config[1].
 740
 741 'GIT_EDITOR'::
 742         This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 743         It is used by several git commands when, on interactive mode,
 744         an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 745         and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 746
 747 'GIT_SSH'::
 748         If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 749         and 'git push' will use this command instead
 750         of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 751         The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
 752         the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
 753         shell command to execute on that remote system.
 754 +
 755 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 756 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 757 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 758 +
 759 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 760 personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 761 for further details.
 762
 763 'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 764         If this environment variable is set, then git commands which need to
 765         acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 766         will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 767         and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 768         option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 769
 770 'GIT_FLUSH'::
 771         If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 772         as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 773         and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
 774         after each commit-oriented record have been flushed.   If this
 775         variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 776         using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 777         not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 778         based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 779
 780 'GIT_TRACE'::
 781         If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 782         is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
 783         stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 784         execution and external command execution.
 785         If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 786         and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
 787         value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 788         trace messages into this file descriptor.
 789         Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 790         (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
 791         as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 792         into it.
 793
 794 Discussion[[Discussion]]
 795 ------------------------
 796
 797 More detail on the following is available from the
 798 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 799 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 800
 801 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 802 subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 803 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 804 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 805 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 806 as tags and branch heads.
 807
 808 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 809 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 810 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 811 and some number of parent commits.
 812
 813 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 814 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 815 represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 816 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 817
 818 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
 819 written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 820 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 821 just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 822 purpose.
 823
 824 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 825 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 826
 827 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 828 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 829 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
 830 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA1 names of
 831 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 832 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 833
 834 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 835 path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 836 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 837 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 838 corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 839 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 840 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 841 content stored in the index.
 842
 843 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 844 for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 845 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 846
 847 Authors
 848 -------
 849 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 850 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the git mailing list
 851 <git@vger.kernel.org>. For a more complete list of contributors, see
 852 http://git-scm.com/about. If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 853 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 854 the authors for specific parts of the project.
 855
 856 Reporting Bugs
 857 --------------
 858
 859 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 860 development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 861 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 862
 863 SEE ALSO
 864 --------
 865 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 866 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 867 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 868 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 869 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 870
 871 GIT
 872 ---
 873 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite