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1git-pack-refs(1)
2================
3
4NAME
5----
6git-pack-refs - Pack heads and tags for efficient repository access
7
8SYNOPSIS
9--------
7791a1d9 10[verse]
b1889c36 11'git pack-refs' [--all] [--no-prune]
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12
13DESCRIPTION
14-----------
15
16Traditionally, tips of branches and tags (collectively known as
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17'refs') were stored one file per ref in a (sub)directory
18under `$GIT_DIR/refs`
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19directory. While many branch tips tend to be updated often,
20most tags and some branch tips are never updated. When a
21repository has hundreds or thousands of tags, this
22one-file-per-ref format both wastes storage and hurts
23performance.
24
25This command is used to solve the storage and performance
831e61f8 26problem by storing the refs in a single file,
d28f7cb9 27`$GIT_DIR/packed-refs`. When a ref is missing from the
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28traditional `$GIT_DIR/refs` directory hierarchy, it is looked
29up in this
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30file and used if found.
31
38b7ccbe 32Subsequent updates to branches always create new files under
831e61f8 33`$GIT_DIR/refs` directory hierarchy.
d28f7cb9 34
af67e91c 35A recommended practice to deal with a repository with too many
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36refs is to pack its refs with `--all` once, and
37occasionally run `git pack-refs`. Tags are by
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38definition stationary and are not expected to change. Branch
39heads will be packed with the initial `pack-refs --all`, but
40only the currently active branch heads will become unpacked,
38b7ccbe 41and the next `pack-refs` (without `--all`) will leave them
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42unpacked.
43
44
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45OPTIONS
46-------
47
3240240f 48--all::
d28f7cb9 49
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50The command by default packs all tags and refs that are already
51packed, and leaves other refs
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52alone. This is because branches are expected to be actively
53developed and packing their tips does not help performance.
54This option causes branch tips to be packed as well. Useful for
55a repository with many branches of historical interests.
56
3240240f 57--no-prune::
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58
59The command usually removes loose refs under `$GIT_DIR/refs`
60hierarchy after packing them. This option tells it not to.
d28f7cb9 61
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62
63BUGS
64----
65
66Older documentation written before the packed-refs mechanism was
67introduced may still say things like ".git/refs/heads/<branch> file
68exists" when it means "branch <branch> exists".
69
70
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71GIT
72---
9e1f0a85 73Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite