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:v1.7.12.1/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.1]
  47
  48 * release notes for
  49   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  50   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  51
  52 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  53
  54 * release notes for
  55   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
  56   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  57   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  58   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  59   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  60   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  61   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  62   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
  63
  64 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
  65
  66 * release notes for
  67   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
  68   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
  69   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
  70   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
  71   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
  72   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
  73
  74 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
  75
  76 * release notes for
  77   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
  78   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
  79   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
  80   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
  81   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
  82   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
  83   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
  84   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
  85
  86 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
  87
  88 * release notes for
  89   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
  90   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
  91   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
  92   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
  93   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
  94   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
  95   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
  96
  97 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
  98
  99 * release notes for
 100   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 101   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 102   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 103   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 104   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 105   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 106   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 107   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 108
 109 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 110
 111 * release notes for
 112   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 113   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 114   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 115   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 116   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 117   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 118   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 119
 120 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 121
 122 * release notes for
 123   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 124   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 125   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 126   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 127   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 128
 129 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 130
 131 * release notes for
 132   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 133   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 134   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 135   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 136   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 137   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 138
 139 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 140
 141 * release notes for
 142   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 143   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 144   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 145   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 146   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 147   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 148
 149 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 150
 151 * release notes for
 152   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 153   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 154   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 155   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 156   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 157   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 158
 159 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 160
 161 * release notes for
 162   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 163   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 164   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 165   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 166   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 167
 168 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 169
 170 * release notes for
 171   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 172   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 173   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 174   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 175   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 176   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 177   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 178   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 179   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 180   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 181
 182 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 183
 184 * release notes for
 185   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 186   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 187   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 188   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 189
 190 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 191
 192 * release notes for
 193   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 194   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 195   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 196   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 197   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 198   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 199   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 200   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 201   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 202   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 203
 204 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 205
 206 * release notes for
 207   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 208   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 209   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 210   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 211   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 212   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 213
 214 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 215
 216 * release notes for
 217   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 218   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 219   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 220   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 221   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 222
 223 * release notes for
 224   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 225   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 226   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 227   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 228   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 229   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 230
 231 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 232
 233 * release notes for
 234   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 235   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 236   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 237   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 238
 239 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 240
 241 * release notes for
 242   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 243   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 244   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 245   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 246   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 247   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 248   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 249
 250 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 251
 252 * release notes for
 253   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 254   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 255   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 256   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 257   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 258   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 259   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 260
 261 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 262
 263 * release notes for
 264   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 265   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 266   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 267   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 268   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 269   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 270   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 271
 272 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 273
 274 * release notes for
 275   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 276   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 277   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 278   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 279   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 280   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 281   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 282   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 283
 284 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 285
 286 * release notes for
 287   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 288   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 289   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 290   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 291   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 292   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 293   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 294   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 295   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 296
 297 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 298
 299 * release notes for
 300   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 301   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 302   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 303   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 304   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 305   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 306
 307 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 308
 309 * release notes for
 310   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 311   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 312   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 313   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 314   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 315   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 316   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 317
 318 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 319
 320 * release notes for
 321   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 322   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 323   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 324   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 325   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 326   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 327   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 328
 329 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 330   link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 331   link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 332   link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 333
 334 ============
 335
 336 endif::stalenotes[]
 337
 338 OPTIONS
 339 -------
 340 --version::
 341         Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 342
 343 --help::
 344         Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 345         commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 346         available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
 347         option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 348 +
 349 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 350 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 351 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 352 help ...`.
 353
 354 -c <name>=<value>::
 355         Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 356         given will override values from configuration files.
 357         The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 358         'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 359
 360 --exec-path[=<path>]::
 361         Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
 362         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 363         environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 364         the current setting and then exit.
 365
 366 --html-path::
 367         Print the path, without trailing slash, where git's HTML
 368         documentation is installed and exit.
 369
 370 --man-path::
 371         Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 372         this version of git and exit.
 373
 374 --info-path::
 375         Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 376         version of git are installed and exit.
 377
 378 -p::
 379 --paginate::
 380         Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 381         output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 382         configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 383         below).
 384
 385 --no-pager::
 386         Do not pipe git output into a pager.
 387
 388 --git-dir=<path>::
 389         Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 390         setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 391         path or relative path to current working directory.
 392
 393 --work-tree=<path>::
 394         Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 395         or a path relative to the current working directory.
 396         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 397         environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 398         variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 399         more detailed discussion).
 400
 401 --namespace=<path>::
 402         Set the git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 403         details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 404         variable.
 405
 406 --bare::
 407         Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 408         environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 409         directory.
 410
 411 --no-replace-objects::
 412         Do not use replacement refs to replace git objects. See
 413         linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 414
 415
 416 GIT COMMANDS
 417 ------------
 418
 419 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 420 ("plumbing") commands.
 421
 422 High-level commands (porcelain)
 423 -------------------------------
 424
 425 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 426 ancillary user utilities.
 427
 428 Main porcelain commands
 429 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 430
 431 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 432
 433 Ancillary Commands
 434 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 435 Manipulators:
 436
 437 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 438
 439 Interrogators:
 440
 441 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 442
 443
 444 Interacting with Others
 445 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 446
 447 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 448 people via patch over e-mail.
 449
 450 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 451
 452
 453 Low-level commands (plumbing)
 454 -----------------------------
 455
 456 Although git includes its
 457 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 458 development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 459 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 460 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 461
 462 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 463 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 464 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 465 primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 466 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 467 end user experience.
 468
 469 The following description divides
 470 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 471 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 472 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 473 repositories.
 474
 475
 476 Manipulation commands
 477 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 478
 479 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 480
 481
 482 Interrogation commands
 483 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 484
 485 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 486
 487 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 488 the working tree.
 489
 490
 491 Synching repositories
 492 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 493
 494 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 495
 496 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 497 typically do not use them directly.
 498
 499 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 500
 501
 502 Internal helper commands
 503 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 504
 505 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 506 users typically do not use them directly.
 507
 508 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 509
 510
 511 Configuration Mechanism
 512 -----------------------
 513
 514 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
 515 is used to hold per-repository configuration options.  It is a
 516 simple text file modeled after `.ini` format familiar to some
 517 people.  Here is an example:
 518
 519 ------------
 520 #
 521 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 522 #
 523
 524 ; core variables
 525 [core]
 526         ; Don't trust file modes
 527         filemode = false
 528
 529 ; user identity
 530 [user]
 531         name = "Junio C Hamano"
 532         email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
 533
 534 ------------
 535
 536 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 537 their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 538 list.
 539
 540
 541 Identifier Terminology
 542 ----------------------
 543 <object>::
 544         Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 545
 546 <blob>::
 547         Indicates a blob object name.
 548
 549 <tree>::
 550         Indicates a tree object name.
 551
 552 <commit>::
 553         Indicates a commit object name.
 554
 555 <tree-ish>::
 556         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 557         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 558         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 559         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 560
 561 <commit-ish>::
 562         Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 563         command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 564         operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 565         <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 566
 567 <type>::
 568         Indicates that an object type is required.
 569         Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 570
 571 <file>::
 572         Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 573         root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 574
 575 Symbolic Identifiers
 576 --------------------
 577 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 578 symbolic notation:
 579
 580 HEAD::
 581         indicates the head of the current branch.
 582
 583 <tag>::
 584         a valid tag 'name'
 585         (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 586
 587 <head>::
 588         a valid head 'name'
 589         (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 590
 591 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 592 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 593
 594
 595 File/Directory Structure
 596 ------------------------
 597
 598 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 599
 600 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 601
 602 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 603 `$GIT_DIR`.
 604
 605
 606 Terminology
 607 -----------
 608 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 609
 610
 611 Environment Variables
 612 ---------------------
 613 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
 614
 615 The git Repository
 616 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 617 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
 618 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 619 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 620
 621 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 622         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 623         index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 624         is used.
 625
 626 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 627         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 628         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 629         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 630         directory is used.
 631
 632 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 633         Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
 634         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 635         specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 636         of git object directories which can be used to search for git
 637         objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 638
 639 'GIT_DIR'::
 640         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 641         specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 642         for the base of the repository.
 643
 644 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 645         Set the path to the working tree.  The value will not be
 646         used in combination with repositories found automatically in
 647         a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
 648         This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 649         option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 650
 651 'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 652         Set the git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 653         The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 654
 655 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 656         This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.
 657         If set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir
 658         up into while looking for a repository directory.
 659         It will not exclude the current working directory or
 660         a GIT_DIR set on the command line or in the environment.
 661         (Useful for excluding slow-loading network directories.)
 662
 663 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 664         When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 665         directory, git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 666         directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 667         does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 668         can be set to true to tell git not to stop at filesystem
 669         boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 670         an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 671         command line.
 672
 673 git Commits
 674 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 675 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 676 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 677 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 678 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 679 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 680 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 681 'EMAIL'::
 682         see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 683
 684 git Diffs
 685 ~~~~~~~~~
 686 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 687         Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 688         number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 689         This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 690         value passed on the git diff command line.
 691
 692 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 693         When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 694         program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 695         described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 696         'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 697
 698         path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 699 +
 700 where:
 701
 702         <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 703                          contents of <old|new>,
 704         <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
 705         <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 706 +
 707 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 708 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 709 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 710 index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 711 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 712 +
 713 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 714 parameter, <path>.
 715
 716 other
 717 ~~~~~
 718 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 719         A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 720         the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 721         See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 722
 723 'GIT_PAGER'::
 724         This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 725         to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
 726         a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 727         linkgit:git-config[1].
 728
 729 'GIT_EDITOR'::
 730         This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 731         It is used by several git commands when, on interactive mode,
 732         an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 733         and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 734
 735 'GIT_SSH'::
 736         If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 737         and 'git push' will use this command instead
 738         of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 739         The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
 740         the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
 741         shell command to execute on that remote system.
 742 +
 743 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 744 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 745 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 746 +
 747 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 748 personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 749 for further details.
 750
 751 'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 752         If this environment variable is set, then git commands which need to
 753         acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 754         will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 755         and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 756         option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 757
 758 'GIT_FLUSH'::
 759         If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 760         as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 761         and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
 762         after each commit-oriented record have been flushed.   If this
 763         variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 764         using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 765         not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 766         based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 767
 768 'GIT_TRACE'::
 769         If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 770         is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
 771         stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 772         execution and external command execution.
 773         If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 774         and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
 775         value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 776         trace messages into this file descriptor.
 777         Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 778         (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
 779         as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 780         into it.
 781
 782 Discussion[[Discussion]]
 783 ------------------------
 784
 785 More detail on the following is available from the
 786 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 787 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 788
 789 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 790 subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 791 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 792 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 793 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 794 as tags and branch heads.
 795
 796 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 797 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 798 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 799 and some number of parent commits.
 800
 801 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 802 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 803 represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 804 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 805
 806 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
 807 written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 808 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 809 just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 810 purpose.
 811
 812 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 813 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 814
 815 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 816 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 817 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
 818 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA1 names of
 819 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 820 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 821
 822 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 823 path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 824 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 825 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 826 corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 827 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 828 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 829 content stored in the index.
 830
 831 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 832 for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 833 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 834
 835 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 836 ---------------------
 837
 838 See the references in the "description" section to get started
 839 using git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 840 for a first-time user.
 841
 842 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 843 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 844 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
 845
 846 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 847
 848 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 849 examples.
 850
 851 The internals are documented in the
 852 link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
 853
 854 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 855 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 856
 857
 858 Authors
 859 -------
 860 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 861 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the git mailing list
 862 <git@vger.kernel.org>. For a more complete list of contributors, see
 863 http://git-scm.com/about. If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 864 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 865 the authors for specific parts of the project.
 866
 867 Reporting Bugs
 868 --------------
 869
 870 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 871 development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 872 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 873
 874 SEE ALSO
 875 --------
 876 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 877 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 878 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 879 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 880 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 881
 882 GIT
 883 ---
 884 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite