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:v1.8.2.1/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.1]
  47
  48 * release notes for
  49   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1].
  50   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
  51
  52 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
  53
  54 * release notes for
  55   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
  56   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  57   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  58   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  59   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  60   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  61   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  62
  63 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  64
  65 * release notes for
  66   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  67   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  68   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  69   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  70
  71 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  72
  73 * release notes for
  74   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  75   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  76   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  77   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  78   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  79
  80 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  81
  82 * release notes for
  83   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
  84   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  85   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  86   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  87   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  88   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  89   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  90   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
  91
  92 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
  93
  94 * release notes for
  95   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
  96   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
  97   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
  98   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
  99   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
 100   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
 101
 102 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
 103
 104 * release notes for
 105   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
 106   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 107   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 108   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 109   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 110   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 111   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 112   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 113
 114 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 115
 116 * release notes for
 117   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 118   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 119   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 120   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 121   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 122   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 123   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 124
 125 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 126
 127 * release notes for
 128   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 129   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 130   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 131   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 132   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 133   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 134   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 135   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 136
 137 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 138
 139 * release notes for
 140   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 141   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 142   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 143   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 144   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 145   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 146   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 147
 148 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 149
 150 * release notes for
 151   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 152   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 153   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 154   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 155   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 156
 157 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 158
 159 * release notes for
 160   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 161   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 162   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 163   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 164   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 165   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 166
 167 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 168
 169 * release notes for
 170   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 171   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 172   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 173   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 174   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 175   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 176
 177 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 178
 179 * release notes for
 180   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 181   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 182   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 183   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 184   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 185   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 186
 187 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 188
 189 * release notes for
 190   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 191   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 192   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 193   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 194   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 195
 196 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 197
 198 * release notes for
 199   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 200   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 201   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 202   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 203   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 204   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 205   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 206   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 207   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 208   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 209
 210 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 211
 212 * release notes for
 213   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 214   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 215   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 216   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 217
 218 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 219
 220 * release notes for
 221   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 222   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 223   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 224   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 225   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 226   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 227   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 228   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 229   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 230   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 231
 232 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 233
 234 * release notes for
 235   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 236   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 237   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 238   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 239   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 240   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 241
 242 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 243
 244 * release notes for
 245   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 246   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 247   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 248   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 249   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 250
 251 * release notes for
 252   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 253   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 254   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 255   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 256   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 257   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 258
 259 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 260
 261 * release notes for
 262   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 263   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 264   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 265   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 266
 267 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 268
 269 * release notes for
 270   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 271   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 272   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 273   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 274   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 275   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 276   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 277
 278 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 279
 280 * release notes for
 281   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 282   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 283   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 284   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 285   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 286   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 287   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 288
 289 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 290
 291 * release notes for
 292   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 293   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 294   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 295   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 296   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 297   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 298   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 299
 300 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 301
 302 * release notes for
 303   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 304   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 305   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 306   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 307   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 308   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 309   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 310   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 311
 312 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 313
 314 * release notes for
 315   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 316   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 317   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 318   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 319   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 320   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 321   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 322   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 323   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 324
 325 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 326
 327 * release notes for
 328   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 329   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 330   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 331   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 332   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 333   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 334
 335 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 336
 337 * release notes for
 338   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 339   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 340   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 341   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 342   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 343   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 344   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 345
 346 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 347
 348 * release notes for
 349   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 350   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 351   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 352   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 353   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 354   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 355   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 356
 357 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 358   link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 359   link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 360   link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 361
 362 ============
 363
 364 endif::stalenotes[]
 365
 366 OPTIONS
 367 -------
 368 --version::
 369         Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 370
 371 --help::
 372         Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 373         commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 374         available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
 375         option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 376 +
 377 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 378 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 379 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 380 help ...`.
 381
 382 -c <name>=<value>::
 383         Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 384         given will override values from configuration files.
 385         The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 386         'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 387
 388 --exec-path[=<path>]::
 389         Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
 390         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 391         environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 392         the current setting and then exit.
 393
 394 --html-path::
 395         Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
 396         documentation is installed and exit.
 397
 398 --man-path::
 399         Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 400         this version of Git and exit.
 401
 402 --info-path::
 403         Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 404         version of Git are installed and exit.
 405
 406 -p::
 407 --paginate::
 408         Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 409         output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 410         configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 411         below).
 412
 413 --no-pager::
 414         Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
 415
 416 --git-dir=<path>::
 417         Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 418         setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 419         path or relative path to current working directory.
 420
 421 --work-tree=<path>::
 422         Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 423         or a path relative to the current working directory.
 424         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 425         environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 426         variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 427         more detailed discussion).
 428
 429 --namespace=<path>::
 430         Set the Git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 431         details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 432         variable.
 433
 434 --bare::
 435         Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 436         environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 437         directory.
 438
 439 --no-replace-objects::
 440         Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
 441         linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 442
 443 --literal-pathspecs::
 444         Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
 445         equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
 446         variable to `1`.
 447
 448
 449 GIT COMMANDS
 450 ------------
 451
 452 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 453 ("plumbing") commands.
 454
 455 High-level commands (porcelain)
 456 -------------------------------
 457
 458 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 459 ancillary user utilities.
 460
 461 Main porcelain commands
 462 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 463
 464 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 465
 466 Ancillary Commands
 467 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 468 Manipulators:
 469
 470 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 471
 472 Interrogators:
 473
 474 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 475
 476
 477 Interacting with Others
 478 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 479
 480 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 481 people via patch over e-mail.
 482
 483 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 484
 485
 486 Low-level commands (plumbing)
 487 -----------------------------
 488
 489 Although Git includes its
 490 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 491 development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 492 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 493 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 494
 495 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 496 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 497 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 498 primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 499 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 500 end user experience.
 501
 502 The following description divides
 503 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 504 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 505 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 506 repositories.
 507
 508
 509 Manipulation commands
 510 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 511
 512 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 513
 514
 515 Interrogation commands
 516 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 517
 518 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 519
 520 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 521 the working tree.
 522
 523
 524 Synching repositories
 525 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 526
 527 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 528
 529 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 530 typically do not use them directly.
 531
 532 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 533
 534
 535 Internal helper commands
 536 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 537
 538 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 539 users typically do not use them directly.
 540
 541 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 542
 543
 544 Configuration Mechanism
 545 -----------------------
 546
 547 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 548 repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 549 like this:
 550
 551 ------------
 552 #
 553 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 554 #
 555
 556 ; core variables
 557 [core]
 558         ; Don't trust file modes
 559         filemode = false
 560
 561 ; user identity
 562 [user]
 563         name = "Junio C Hamano"
 564         email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 565
 566 ------------
 567
 568 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 569 their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 570 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 571
 572
 573 Identifier Terminology
 574 ----------------------
 575 <object>::
 576         Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 577
 578 <blob>::
 579         Indicates a blob object name.
 580
 581 <tree>::
 582         Indicates a tree object name.
 583
 584 <commit>::
 585         Indicates a commit object name.
 586
 587 <tree-ish>::
 588         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 589         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 590         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 591         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 592
 593 <commit-ish>::
 594         Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 595         command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 596         operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 597         <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 598
 599 <type>::
 600         Indicates that an object type is required.
 601         Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 602
 603 <file>::
 604         Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 605         root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 606
 607 Symbolic Identifiers
 608 --------------------
 609 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 610 symbolic notation:
 611
 612 HEAD::
 613         indicates the head of the current branch.
 614
 615 <tag>::
 616         a valid tag 'name'
 617         (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 618
 619 <head>::
 620         a valid head 'name'
 621         (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 622
 623 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 624 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 625
 626
 627 File/Directory Structure
 628 ------------------------
 629
 630 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 631
 632 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 633
 634 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 635 `$GIT_DIR`.
 636
 637
 638 Terminology
 639 -----------
 640 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 641
 642
 643 Environment Variables
 644 ---------------------
 645 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
 646
 647 The Git Repository
 648 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 649 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
 650 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 651 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 652
 653 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 654         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 655         index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 656         is used.
 657
 658 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 659         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 660         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 661         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 662         directory is used.
 663
 664 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 665         Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
 666         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 667         specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 668         of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
 669         objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 670
 671 'GIT_DIR'::
 672         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 673         specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 674         for the base of the repository.
 675         The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 676
 677 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 678         Set the path to the working tree.  The value will not be
 679         used in combination with repositories found automatically in
 680         a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
 681         This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 682         option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 683
 684 'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 685         Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 686         The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 687
 688 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 689         This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 690         set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
 691         into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 692         excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 693         exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 694         command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 695         the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 696         might be present in order to compare them with the current
 697         directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 698         can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 699         subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 700         e.g.,
 701         'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 702
 703 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 704         When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 705         directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 706         directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 707         does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 708         can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
 709         boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 710         an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 711         command line.
 712
 713 Git Commits
 714 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 715 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 716 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 717 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 718 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 719 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 720 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 721 'EMAIL'::
 722         see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 723
 724 Git Diffs
 725 ~~~~~~~~~
 726 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 727         Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 728         number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 729         This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 730         value passed on the Git diff command line.
 731
 732 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 733         When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 734         program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 735         described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 736         'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 737
 738         path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 739 +
 740 where:
 741
 742         <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 743                          contents of <old|new>,
 744         <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
 745         <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 746 +
 747 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 748 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 749 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 750 index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 751 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 752 +
 753 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 754 parameter, <path>.
 755
 756 other
 757 ~~~~~
 758 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 759         A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 760         the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 761         See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 762
 763 'GIT_PAGER'::
 764         This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 765         to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
 766         a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 767         linkgit:git-config[1].
 768
 769 'GIT_EDITOR'::
 770         This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 771         It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
 772         an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 773         and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 774
 775 'GIT_SSH'::
 776         If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 777         and 'git push' will use this command instead
 778         of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 779         The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 780         four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 781         from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 782         remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 783         the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 784         than the default SSH port.
 785 +
 786 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 787 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 788 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 789 +
 790 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 791 personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 792 for further details.
 793
 794 'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 795         If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
 796         acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 797         will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 798         and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 799         option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 800
 801 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 802         Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 803         `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 804         be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 805         predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 806         temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 807         waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 808
 809 'GIT_FLUSH'::
 810         If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 811         as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 812         and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
 813         after each commit-oriented record have been flushed.   If this
 814         variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 815         using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 816         not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 817         based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 818
 819 'GIT_TRACE'::
 820         If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 821         is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
 822         stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 823         execution and external command execution.
 824         If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 825         and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
 826         value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 827         trace messages into this file descriptor.
 828         Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 829         (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
 830         as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 831         into it.
 832
 833 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
 834         Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 835         pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
 836         running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
 837         for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
 838         glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
 839         literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
 840         `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
 841
 842
 843 Discussion[[Discussion]]
 844 ------------------------
 845
 846 More detail on the following is available from the
 847 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 848 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 849
 850 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 851 subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 852 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 853 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 854 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 855 as tags and branch heads.
 856
 857 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 858 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 859 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 860 and some number of parent commits.
 861
 862 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 863 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 864 represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 865 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 866
 867 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
 868 written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 869 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 870 just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 871 purpose.
 872
 873 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 874 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 875
 876 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 877 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 878 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
 879 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA1 names of
 880 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 881 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 882
 883 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 884 path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 885 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 886 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 887 corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 888 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 889 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 890 content stored in the index.
 891
 892 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 893 for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 894 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 895
 896 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 897 ---------------------
 898
 899 See the references in the "description" section to get started
 900 using Git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 901 for a first-time user.
 902
 903 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 904 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 905 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
 906
 907 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 908
 909 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 910 examples.
 911
 912 The internals are documented in the
 913 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
 914
 915 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 916 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 917
 918
 919 Authors
 920 -------
 921 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 922 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
 923 <git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 924 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 925
 926 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 927 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 928 the authors for specific parts of the project.
 929
 930 Reporting Bugs
 931 --------------
 932
 933 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 934 development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 935 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 936
 937 SEE ALSO
 938 --------
 939 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 940 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 941 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 942 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 943 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 944
 945 GIT
 946 ---
 947 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite