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