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[thirdparty/git.git] / 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 <path>] [-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 linkgit:giteveryday[7] 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 the 'master'
43 branch of the `git.git` repository.
44 Documentation for older releases are available here:
45
46 * link:v2.7.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.7.3]
47
48 * release notes for
49 link:RelNotes/2.7.3.txt[2.7.3],
50 link:RelNotes/2.7.2.txt[2.7.2],
51 link:RelNotes/2.7.1.txt[2.7.1],
52 link:RelNotes/2.7.0.txt[2.7].
53
54 * link:v2.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 2.6.6]
55
56 * release notes for
57 link:RelNotes/2.6.6.txt[2.6.6],
58 link:RelNotes/2.6.5.txt[2.6.5],
59 link:RelNotes/2.6.4.txt[2.6.4],
60 link:RelNotes/2.6.3.txt[2.6.3],
61 link:RelNotes/2.6.2.txt[2.6.2],
62 link:RelNotes/2.6.1.txt[2.6.1],
63 link:RelNotes/2.6.0.txt[2.6].
64
65 * link:v2.5.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.5.5]
66
67 * release notes for
68 link:RelNotes/2.5.5.txt[2.5.5],
69 link:RelNotes/2.5.4.txt[2.5.4],
70 link:RelNotes/2.5.3.txt[2.5.3],
71 link:RelNotes/2.5.2.txt[2.5.2],
72 link:RelNotes/2.5.1.txt[2.5.1],
73 link:RelNotes/2.5.0.txt[2.5].
74
75 * link:v2.4.11/git.html[documentation for release 2.4.11]
76
77 * release notes for
78 link:RelNotes/2.4.11.txt[2.4.11],
79 link:RelNotes/2.4.10.txt[2.4.10],
80 link:RelNotes/2.4.9.txt[2.4.9],
81 link:RelNotes/2.4.8.txt[2.4.8],
82 link:RelNotes/2.4.7.txt[2.4.7],
83 link:RelNotes/2.4.6.txt[2.4.6],
84 link:RelNotes/2.4.5.txt[2.4.5],
85 link:RelNotes/2.4.4.txt[2.4.4],
86 link:RelNotes/2.4.3.txt[2.4.3],
87 link:RelNotes/2.4.2.txt[2.4.2],
88 link:RelNotes/2.4.1.txt[2.4.1],
89 link:RelNotes/2.4.0.txt[2.4].
90
91 * link:v2.3.10/git.html[documentation for release 2.3.10]
92
93 * release notes for
94 link:RelNotes/2.3.10.txt[2.3.10],
95 link:RelNotes/2.3.9.txt[2.3.9],
96 link:RelNotes/2.3.8.txt[2.3.8],
97 link:RelNotes/2.3.7.txt[2.3.7],
98 link:RelNotes/2.3.6.txt[2.3.6],
99 link:RelNotes/2.3.5.txt[2.3.5],
100 link:RelNotes/2.3.4.txt[2.3.4],
101 link:RelNotes/2.3.3.txt[2.3.3],
102 link:RelNotes/2.3.2.txt[2.3.2],
103 link:RelNotes/2.3.1.txt[2.3.1],
104 link:RelNotes/2.3.0.txt[2.3].
105
106 * link:v2.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.2.3]
107
108 * release notes for
109 link:RelNotes/2.2.3.txt[2.2.3],
110 link:RelNotes/2.2.2.txt[2.2.2],
111 link:RelNotes/2.2.1.txt[2.2.1],
112 link:RelNotes/2.2.0.txt[2.2].
113
114 * link:v2.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.1.4]
115
116 * release notes for
117 link:RelNotes/2.1.4.txt[2.1.4],
118 link:RelNotes/2.1.3.txt[2.1.3],
119 link:RelNotes/2.1.2.txt[2.1.2],
120 link:RelNotes/2.1.1.txt[2.1.1],
121 link:RelNotes/2.1.0.txt[2.1].
122
123 * link:v2.0.5/git.html[documentation for release 2.0.5]
124
125 * release notes for
126 link:RelNotes/2.0.5.txt[2.0.5],
127 link:RelNotes/2.0.4.txt[2.0.4],
128 link:RelNotes/2.0.3.txt[2.0.3],
129 link:RelNotes/2.0.2.txt[2.0.2],
130 link:RelNotes/2.0.1.txt[2.0.1],
131 link:RelNotes/2.0.0.txt[2.0.0].
132
133 * link:v1.9.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.9.5]
134
135 * release notes for
136 link:RelNotes/1.9.5.txt[1.9.5],
137 link:RelNotes/1.9.4.txt[1.9.4],
138 link:RelNotes/1.9.3.txt[1.9.3],
139 link:RelNotes/1.9.2.txt[1.9.2],
140 link:RelNotes/1.9.1.txt[1.9.1],
141 link:RelNotes/1.9.0.txt[1.9.0].
142
143 * link:v1.8.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.6]
144
145 * release notes for
146 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.6.txt[1.8.5.6],
147 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5],
148 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4],
149 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3],
150 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2],
151 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1],
152 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5].
153
154 * link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5]
155
156 * release notes for
157 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5],
158 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4],
159 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3],
160 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2],
161 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
162 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
163
164 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
165
166 * release notes for
167 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
168 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
169 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
170 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
171 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
172
173 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
174
175 * release notes for
176 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
177 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
178 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
179 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
180
181 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
182
183 * release notes for
184 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
185 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
186 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
187 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
188 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
189 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
190 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
191
192 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
193
194 * release notes for
195 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
196 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
197 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
198 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
199
200 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
201
202 * release notes for
203 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
204 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
205 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
206 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
208
209 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
210
211 * release notes for
212 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
213 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
214 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
215 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
216 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
217 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
219 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
220
221 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
222
223 * release notes for
224 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
225 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
226 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
227 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
228 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
229 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
230
231 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
232
233 * release notes for
234 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
235 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
236 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
237 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
238 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
239 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
240 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
241 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
242
243 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
244
245 * release notes for
246 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
247 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
248 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
249 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
250 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
251 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
252 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
253
254 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
255
256 * release notes for
257 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
258 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
259 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
260 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
261 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
262 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
263 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
264 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
265
266 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
267
268 * release notes for
269 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
270 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
271 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
272 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
273 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
274 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
275 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
276
277 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
278
279 * release notes for
280 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
281 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
282 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
283 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
284 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
285
286 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
287
288 * release notes for
289 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
290 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
291 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
292 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
293 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
294 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
295
296 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
297
298 * release notes for
299 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
300 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
301 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
302 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
303 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
304 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
305
306 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
307
308 * release notes for
309 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
310 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
311 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
312 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
313 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
314 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
315
316 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
317
318 * release notes for
319 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
320 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
321 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
322 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
323 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
324
325 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
326
327 * release notes for
328 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
329 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
330 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
331 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
332 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
333 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
334 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
335 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
336 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
337 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
338
339 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
340
341 * release notes for
342 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
343 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
344 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
345 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
346
347 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
348
349 * release notes for
350 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
351 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
352 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
353 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
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357 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
358 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
359 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
360
361 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
362
363 * release notes for
364 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
365 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
366 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
367 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
368 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
369 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
370
371 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
372
373 * release notes for
374 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
375 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
376 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
377 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
378 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
379
380 * release notes for
381 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
382 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
383 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
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385 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
386 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
387
388 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
389
390 * release notes for
391 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
392 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
393 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
394 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
395
396 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
397
398 * release notes for
399 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
400 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
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405 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
406
407 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
408
409 * release notes for
410 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
411 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
412 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
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414 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
415 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
416 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
417
418 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
419
420 * release notes for
421 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
422 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
423 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
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426 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
427 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
428
429 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
430
431 * release notes for
432 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
433 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
434 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
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438 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
439 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
440
441 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
442
443 * release notes for
444 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
445 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
446 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
447 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
448 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
449 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
450 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
451 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
452 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
453
454 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
455
456 * release notes for
457 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
458 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
459 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
460 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
461 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
462 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
463
464 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
465
466 * release notes for
467 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
468 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
469 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
470 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
471 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
472 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
473 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
474
475 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
476
477 * release notes for
478 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
479 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
480 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
481 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
482 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
483 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
484 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
485
486 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
487 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
488 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
489 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
490
491 ============
492
493 endif::stalenotes[]
494
495 OPTIONS
496 -------
497 --version::
498 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
499
500 --help::
501 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
502 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
503 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
504 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
505 +
506 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
507 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
508 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
509 help ...`.
510
511 -C <path>::
512 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
513 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
514 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
515 <path>`.
516 +
517 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
518 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
519 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
520 example the following invocations are equivalent:
521
522 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
523 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
524
525 -c <name>=<value>::
526 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
527 given will override values from configuration files.
528 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
529 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
530 +
531 Note that omitting the `=` in `git -c foo.bar ...` is allowed and sets
532 `foo.bar` to the boolean true value (just like `[foo]bar` would in a
533 config file). Including the equals but with an empty value (like `git -c
534 foo.bar= ...`) sets `foo.bar` to the empty string.
535
536 --exec-path[=<path>]::
537 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
538 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
539 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
540 the current setting and then exit.
541
542 --html-path::
543 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
544 documentation is installed and exit.
545
546 --man-path::
547 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
548 this version of Git and exit.
549
550 --info-path::
551 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
552 version of Git are installed and exit.
553
554 -p::
555 --paginate::
556 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
557 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
558 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
559 below).
560
561 --no-pager::
562 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
563
564 --git-dir=<path>::
565 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
566 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
567 path or relative path to current working directory.
568
569 --work-tree=<path>::
570 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
571 or a path relative to the current working directory.
572 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
573 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
574 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
575 more detailed discussion).
576
577 --namespace=<path>::
578 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
579 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
580 variable.
581
582 --bare::
583 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
584 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
585 directory.
586
587 --no-replace-objects::
588 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
589 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
590
591 --literal-pathspecs::
592 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
593 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
594 variable to `1`.
595
596 --glob-pathspecs::
597 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
598 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
599 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
600 magic ":(literal)"
601
602 --noglob-pathspecs::
603 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
604 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
605 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
606 magic ":(glob)"
607
608 --icase-pathspecs::
609 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
610 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
611
612 GIT COMMANDS
613 ------------
614
615 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
616 ("plumbing") commands.
617
618 High-level commands (porcelain)
619 -------------------------------
620
621 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
622 ancillary user utilities.
623
624 Main porcelain commands
625 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
626
627 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
628
629 Ancillary Commands
630 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
631 Manipulators:
632
633 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
634
635 Interrogators:
636
637 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
638
639
640 Interacting with Others
641 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
642
643 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
644 people via patch over e-mail.
645
646 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
647
648
649 Low-level commands (plumbing)
650 -----------------------------
651
652 Although Git includes its
653 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
654 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
655 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
656 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
657
658 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
659 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
660 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
661 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
662 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
663 end user experience.
664
665 The following description divides
666 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
667 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
668 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
669 repositories.
670
671
672 Manipulation commands
673 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
674
675 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
676
677
678 Interrogation commands
679 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
680
681 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
682
683 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
684 the working tree.
685
686
687 Synching repositories
688 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
689
690 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
691
692 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
693 typically do not use them directly.
694
695 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
696
697
698 Internal helper commands
699 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
700
701 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
702 users typically do not use them directly.
703
704 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
705
706
707 Configuration Mechanism
708 -----------------------
709
710 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
711 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
712 like this:
713
714 ------------
715 #
716 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
717 #
718
719 ; core variables
720 [core]
721 ; Don't trust file modes
722 filemode = false
723
724 ; user identity
725 [user]
726 name = "Junio C Hamano"
727 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
728
729 ------------
730
731 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
732 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
733 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
734
735
736 Identifier Terminology
737 ----------------------
738 <object>::
739 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
740
741 <blob>::
742 Indicates a blob object name.
743
744 <tree>::
745 Indicates a tree object name.
746
747 <commit>::
748 Indicates a commit object name.
749
750 <tree-ish>::
751 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
752 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
753 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
754 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
755
756 <commit-ish>::
757 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
758 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
759 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
760 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
761
762 <type>::
763 Indicates that an object type is required.
764 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
765
766 <file>::
767 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
768 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
769
770 Symbolic Identifiers
771 --------------------
772 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
773 symbolic notation:
774
775 HEAD::
776 indicates the head of the current branch.
777
778 <tag>::
779 a valid tag 'name'
780 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
781
782 <head>::
783 a valid head 'name'
784 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
785
786 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
787 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
788
789
790 File/Directory Structure
791 ------------------------
792
793 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
794
795 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
796
797 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
798 `$GIT_DIR`.
799
800
801 Terminology
802 -----------
803 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
804
805
806 Environment Variables
807 ---------------------
808 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
809
810 The Git Repository
811 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
812 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
813 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
814 Git so take care if using a foreign front-end.
815
816 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
817 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
818 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
819 is used.
820
821 'GIT_INDEX_VERSION'::
822 This environment variable allows the specification of an index
823 version for new repositories. It won't affect existing index
824 files. By default index file version 2 or 3 is used. See
825 linkgit:git-update-index[1] for more information.
826
827 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
828 If the object storage directory is specified via this
829 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
830 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
831 directory is used.
832
833 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
834 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
835 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
836 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
837 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
838 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
839
840 'GIT_DIR'::
841 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
842 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
843 for the base of the repository.
844 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
845
846 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
847 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
848 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command-line
849 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
850
851 'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
852 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
853 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
854
855 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
856 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
857 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
858 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
859 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
860 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
861 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
862 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
863 might be present in order to compare them with the current
864 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
865 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
866 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
867 e.g.,
868 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
869
870 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
871 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
872 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
873 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
874 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
875 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
876 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
877 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
878 command line.
879
880 'GIT_COMMON_DIR'::
881 If this variable is set to a path, non-worktree files that are
882 normally in $GIT_DIR will be taken from this path
883 instead. Worktree-specific files such as HEAD or index are
884 taken from $GIT_DIR. See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] and
885 linkgit:git-worktree[1] for
886 details. This variable has lower precedence than other path
887 variables such as GIT_INDEX_FILE, GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY...
888
889 Git Commits
890 ~~~~~~~~~~~
891 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
892 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
893 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
894 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
895 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
896 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
897 'EMAIL'::
898 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
899
900 Git Diffs
901 ~~~~~~~~~
902 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
903 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
904 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
905 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
906 value passed on the Git diff command line.
907
908 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
909 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
910 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
911 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
912 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
913
914 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
915 +
916 where:
917
918 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
919 contents of <old|new>,
920 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
921 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
922 +
923 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
924 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
925 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
926 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
927 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
928 +
929 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
930 parameter, <path>.
931 +
932 For each path 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called, two environment variables,
933 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER' and 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL' are set.
934
935 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER'::
936 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path.
937
938 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL'::
939 The total number of paths.
940
941 other
942 ~~~~~
943 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
944 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
945 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
946 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
947
948 'GIT_PAGER'::
949 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
950 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
951 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
952 linkgit:git-config[1].
953
954 'GIT_EDITOR'::
955 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
956 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
957 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
958 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
959
960 'GIT_SSH'::
961 'GIT_SSH_COMMAND'::
962 If either of these environment variables is set then 'git fetch'
963 and 'git push' will use the specified command instead of 'ssh'
964 when they need to connect to a remote system.
965 The command will be given exactly two or four arguments: the
966 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the shell
967 command to execute on that remote system, optionally preceded by
968 '-p' (literally) and the 'port' from the URL when it specifies
969 something other than the default SSH port.
970 +
971 `$GIT_SSH_COMMAND` takes precedence over `$GIT_SSH`, and is interpreted
972 by the shell, which allows additional arguments to be included.
973 `$GIT_SSH` on the other hand must be just the path to a program
974 (which can be a wrapper shell script, if additional arguments are
975 needed).
976 +
977 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
978 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
979 for further details.
980
981 'GIT_ASKPASS'::
982 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
983 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
984 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command-line argument
985 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askPass'
986 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
987
988 'GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT'::
989 If this environment variable is set to `0`, git will not prompt
990 on the terminal (e.g., when asking for HTTP authentication).
991
992 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
993 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
994 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
995 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
996 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
997 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
998 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
999
1000 'GIT_FLUSH'::
1001 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
1002 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
1003 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
1004 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
1005 flushed. If this
1006 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
1007 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
1008 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
1009 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
1010
1011 'GIT_TRACE'::
1012 Enables general trace messages, e.g. alias expansion, built-in
1013 command execution and external command execution.
1014 +
1015 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
1016 is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to
1017 stderr.
1018 +
1019 If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 2
1020 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
1021 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
1022 trace messages into this file descriptor.
1023 +
1024 Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path
1025 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
1026 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
1027 into it.
1028 +
1029 Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or
1030 "false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.
1031
1032 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
1033 Enables trace messages for all accesses to any packs. For each
1034 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
1035 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
1036 pack-related performance problems.
1037 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1038
1039 'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
1040 Enables trace messages for all packets coming in or out of a
1041 given program. This can help with debugging object negotiation
1042 or other protocol issues. Tracing is turned off at a packet
1043 starting with "PACK" (but see 'GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE' below).
1044 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1045
1046 'GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE'::
1047 Enables tracing of packfiles sent or received by a
1048 given program. Unlike other trace output, this trace is
1049 verbatim: no headers, and no quoting of binary data. You almost
1050 certainly want to direct into a file (e.g.,
1051 `GIT_TRACE_PACKFILE=/tmp/my.pack`) rather than displaying it on
1052 the terminal or mixing it with other trace output.
1053 +
1054 Note that this is currently only implemented for the client side
1055 of clones and fetches.
1056
1057 'GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE'::
1058 Enables performance related trace messages, e.g. total execution
1059 time of each Git command.
1060 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1061
1062 'GIT_TRACE_SETUP'::
1063 Enables trace messages printing the .git, working tree and current
1064 working directory after Git has completed its setup phase.
1065 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1066
1067 'GIT_TRACE_SHALLOW'::
1068 Enables trace messages that can help debugging fetching /
1069 cloning of shallow repositories.
1070 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
1071
1072 'GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS'::
1073 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1074 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
1075 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
1076 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
1077 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
1078 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
1079 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
1080
1081 'GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS'::
1082 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1083 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
1084
1085 'GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS'::
1086 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1087 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
1088
1089 'GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS'::
1090 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1091 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
1092
1093 'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::
1094 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
1095 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
1096 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
1097 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
1098 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
1099 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
1100 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
1101 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
1102
1103 'GIT_REF_PARANOIA'::
1104 If set to `1`, include broken or badly named refs when iterating
1105 over lists of refs. In a normal, non-corrupted repository, this
1106 does nothing. However, enabling it may help git to detect and
1107 abort some operations in the presence of broken refs. Git sets
1108 this variable automatically when performing destructive
1109 operations like linkgit:git-prune[1]. You should not need to set
1110 it yourself unless you want to be paranoid about making sure
1111 an operation has touched every ref (e.g., because you are
1112 cloning a repository to make a backup).
1113
1114 'GIT_ALLOW_PROTOCOL'::
1115 If set, provide a colon-separated list of protocols which are
1116 allowed to be used with fetch/push/clone. This is useful to
1117 restrict recursive submodule initialization from an untrusted
1118 repository. Any protocol not mentioned will be disallowed (i.e.,
1119 this is a whitelist, not a blacklist). If the variable is not
1120 set at all, all protocols are enabled. The protocol names
1121 currently used by git are:
1122
1123 - `file`: any local file-based path (including `file://` URLs,
1124 or local paths)
1125
1126 - `git`: the anonymous git protocol over a direct TCP
1127 connection (or proxy, if configured)
1128
1129 - `ssh`: git over ssh (including `host:path` syntax,
1130 `git+ssh://`, etc).
1131
1132 - `rsync`: git over rsync
1133
1134 - `http`: git over http, both "smart http" and "dumb http".
1135 Note that this does _not_ include `https`; if you want both,
1136 you should specify both as `http:https`.
1137
1138 - any external helpers are named by their protocol (e.g., use
1139 `hg` to allow the `git-remote-hg` helper)
1140
1141
1142 Discussion[[Discussion]]
1143 ------------------------
1144
1145 More detail on the following is available from the
1146 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1147 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
1148
1149 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
1150 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
1151 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
1152 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
1153 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
1154 as tags and branch heads.
1155
1156 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
1157 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
1158 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
1159 and some number of parent commits.
1160
1161 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
1162 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
1163 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
1164 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
1165
1166 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
1167 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
1168 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
1169 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
1170 purpose.
1171
1172 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
1173 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
1174
1175 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
1176 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
1177 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
1178 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
1179 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
1180 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
1181
1182 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
1183 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
1184 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
1185 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
1186 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
1187 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
1188 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
1189 content stored in the index.
1190
1191 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
1192 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
1193 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
1194
1195 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
1196 ---------------------
1197
1198 See the references in the "description" section to get started
1199 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
1200 for a first-time user.
1201
1202 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1203 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
1204 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
1205
1206 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
1207
1208 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1209 examples.
1210
1211 The internals are documented in the
1212 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1213
1214 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1215 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1216
1217
1218 Authors
1219 -------
1220 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1221 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1222 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.openhub.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1223 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1224
1225 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1226 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1227 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1228
1229 Reporting Bugs
1230 --------------
1231
1232 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1233 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1234 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
1235
1236 SEE ALSO
1237 --------
1238 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1239 linkgit:giteveryday[7], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1240 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1241 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1242 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1243
1244 GIT
1245 ---
1246 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite