6 git - the stupid content tracker
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>]
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.
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.
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.
34 Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest Git documentation
35 can be viewed at `http://git-htmldocs.googlecode.com/git/git.html`.
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:
46 * link:v2.2.0/git.html[documentation for release 2.2]
49 link:RelNotes/2.2.0.txt[2.2].
51 * link:v2.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 2.1.3]
54 link:RelNotes/2.1.3.txt[2.1.3],
55 link:RelNotes/2.1.2.txt[2.1.2],
56 link:RelNotes/2.1.1.txt[2.1.1],
57 link:RelNotes/2.1.0.txt[2.1].
59 * link:v2.0.4/git.html[documentation for release 2.0.4]
62 link:RelNotes/2.0.4.txt[2.0.4],
63 link:RelNotes/2.0.3.txt[2.0.3],
64 link:RelNotes/2.0.2.txt[2.0.2],
65 link:RelNotes/2.0.1.txt[2.0.1],
66 link:RelNotes/2.0.0.txt[2.0.0].
68 * link:v1.9.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.9.4]
71 link:RelNotes/1.9.4.txt[1.9.4],
72 link:RelNotes/1.9.3.txt[1.9.3],
73 link:RelNotes/1.9.2.txt[1.9.2],
74 link:RelNotes/1.9.1.txt[1.9.1],
75 link:RelNotes/1.9.0.txt[1.9.0].
77 * link:v1.8.5.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.5.5]
80 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.5.txt[1.8.5.5],
81 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.4.txt[1.8.5.4],
82 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.3.txt[1.8.5.3],
83 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.2.txt[1.8.5.2],
84 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.1.txt[1.8.5.1],
85 link:RelNotes/1.8.5.txt[1.8.5].
87 * link:v1.8.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4.5]
90 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.5.txt[1.8.4.5],
91 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.4.txt[1.8.4.4],
92 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.3.txt[1.8.4.3],
93 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.2.txt[1.8.4.2],
94 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.1.txt[1.8.4.1],
95 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
97 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
100 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
101 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
102 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
103 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
104 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
106 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
109 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
110 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
111 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
112 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
114 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
117 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
118 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
119 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
120 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
121 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
122 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
123 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
125 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
128 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
129 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
130 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
131 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
133 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
138 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
140 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
142 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
149 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
150 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
151 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
152 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
154 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
158 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
159 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
160 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
161 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
164 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
167 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
168 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
169 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
170 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
172 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
173 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
174 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
176 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
179 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
182 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
183 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
184 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
185 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
187 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
192 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
193 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
194 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
195 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
196 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
197 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
199 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
202 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
203 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
204 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
205 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
206 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
208 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
210 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
213 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
214 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
215 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
216 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
217 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
219 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
222 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
223 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
224 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
225 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
226 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
227 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
229 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
232 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
233 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
234 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
235 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
236 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
237 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
239 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
242 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
243 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
244 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
245 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
246 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
247 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
249 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
252 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
253 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
254 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
255 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
256 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
258 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
261 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
262 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
263 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
264 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
265 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
266 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
267 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
268 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
269 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
270 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
272 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
275 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
276 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
277 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
278 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
280 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
283 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
284 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
285 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
286 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
287 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
288 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
289 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
290 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
291 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
292 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
294 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
297 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
298 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
299 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
300 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
301 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
302 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
304 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
307 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
308 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
309 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
310 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
311 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
314 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
315 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
316 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
317 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
318 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
319 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
321 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
324 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
325 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
326 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
327 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
329 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
332 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
333 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
334 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
335 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
336 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
337 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
338 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
340 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
343 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
344 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
345 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
346 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
347 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
348 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
349 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
351 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
354 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
355 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
356 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
357 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
358 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
362 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
365 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
366 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
367 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
368 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
369 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
370 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
371 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
372 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
374 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
377 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
378 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
379 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
380 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
381 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
382 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
383 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
384 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
385 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
387 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
390 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
391 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
392 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
393 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
394 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
395 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
397 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
400 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
401 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
402 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
403 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
404 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
405 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
406 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
408 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
411 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
412 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
413 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
414 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
415 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
416 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
417 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
419 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
420 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
421 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
422 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
431 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
434 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
435 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
436 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
437 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
439 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
440 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
441 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
445 Run as if git was started in '<path>' instead of the current working
446 directory. When multiple `-C` options are given, each subsequent
447 non-absolute `-C <path>` is interpreted relative to the preceding `-C
450 This option affects options that expect path name like `--git-dir` and
451 `--work-tree` in that their interpretations of the path names would be
452 made relative to the working directory caused by the `-C` option. For
453 example the following invocations are equivalent:
455 git --git-dir=a.git --work-tree=b -C c status
456 git --git-dir=c/a.git --work-tree=c/b status
459 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
460 given will override values from configuration files.
461 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
462 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
464 Note that omitting the `=` in `git -c foo.bar ...` is allowed and sets
465 `foo.bar` to the boolean true value (just like `[foo]bar` would in a
466 config file). Including the equals but with an empty value (like `git -c
467 foo.bar= ...`) sets `foo.bar` to the empty string.
469 --exec-path[=<path>]::
470 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
471 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
472 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
473 the current setting and then exit.
476 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
477 documentation is installed and exit.
480 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
481 this version of Git and exit.
484 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
485 version of Git are installed and exit.
489 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
490 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
491 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
495 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
498 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
499 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
500 path or relative path to current working directory.
503 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
504 or a path relative to the current working directory.
505 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
506 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
507 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
508 more detailed discussion).
511 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
512 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
516 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
517 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
520 --no-replace-objects::
521 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
522 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
524 --literal-pathspecs::
525 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
526 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
530 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
531 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
532 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
536 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
537 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
538 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
542 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
543 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
548 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
549 ("plumbing") commands.
551 High-level commands (porcelain)
552 -------------------------------
554 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
555 ancillary user utilities.
557 Main porcelain commands
558 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
560 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
566 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
570 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
573 Interacting with Others
574 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
576 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
577 people via patch over e-mail.
579 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
582 Low-level commands (plumbing)
583 -----------------------------
585 Although Git includes its
586 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
587 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
588 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
589 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
591 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
592 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
593 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
594 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
595 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
598 The following description divides
599 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
600 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
601 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
605 Manipulation commands
606 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
608 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
611 Interrogation commands
612 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
614 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
616 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
620 Synching repositories
621 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
623 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
625 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
626 typically do not use them directly.
628 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
631 Internal helper commands
632 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
634 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
635 users typically do not use them directly.
637 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
640 Configuration Mechanism
641 -----------------------
643 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
644 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
649 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
654 ; Don't trust file modes
659 name = "Junio C Hamano"
660 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
664 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
665 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
666 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
669 Identifier Terminology
670 ----------------------
672 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
675 Indicates a blob object name.
678 Indicates a tree object name.
681 Indicates a commit object name.
684 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
685 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
686 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
687 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
690 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
691 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
692 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
693 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
696 Indicates that an object type is required.
697 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
700 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
701 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
705 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
709 indicates the head of the current branch.
713 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
717 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
719 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
720 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
723 File/Directory Structure
724 ------------------------
726 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
728 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
730 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
736 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
739 Environment Variables
740 ---------------------
741 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
745 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
746 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
747 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
750 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
751 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
754 'GIT_INDEX_VERSION'::
755 This environment variable allows the specification of an index
756 version for new repositories. It won't affect existing index
757 files. By default index file version [23] is used.
759 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
760 If the object storage directory is specified via this
761 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
762 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
765 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
766 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
767 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
768 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
769 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
770 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
773 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
774 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
775 for the base of the repository.
776 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
779 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
780 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command-line
781 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
784 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
785 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
787 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
788 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
789 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
790 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
791 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
792 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
793 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
794 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
795 might be present in order to compare them with the current
796 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
797 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
798 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
800 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
802 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
803 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
804 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
805 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
806 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
807 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
808 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
809 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
813 If this variable is set to a path, non-worktree files that are
814 normally in $GIT_DIR will be taken from this path
815 instead. Worktree-specific files such as HEAD or index are
816 taken from $GIT_DIR. See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for
817 details. This variable has lower precedence than other path
818 variables such as GIT_INDEX_FILE, GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY...
825 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
826 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
827 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
829 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
834 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
835 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
836 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
837 value passed on the Git diff command line.
839 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
840 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
841 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
842 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
843 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
845 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
849 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
850 contents of <old|new>,
851 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
852 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
854 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
855 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
856 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
857 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
858 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
860 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
863 For each path 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called, two environment variables,
864 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER' and 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL' are set.
866 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_COUNTER'::
867 A 1-based counter incremented by one for every path.
869 'GIT_DIFF_PATH_TOTAL'::
870 The total number of paths.
874 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
875 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
876 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
877 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
880 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
881 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
882 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
883 linkgit:git-config[1].
886 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
887 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
888 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
889 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
892 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
893 and 'git push' will use this command instead
894 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
895 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
896 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
897 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
898 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
899 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
900 than the default SSH port.
902 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
903 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
904 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
906 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
907 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
911 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
912 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
913 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command-line argument
914 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
915 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
917 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
918 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
919 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
920 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
921 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
922 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
923 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
926 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
927 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
928 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
929 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
931 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
932 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
933 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
934 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
937 Enables general trace messages, e.g. alias expansion, built-in
938 command execution and external command execution.
940 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
941 is case insensitive), trace messages will be printed to
944 If the variable is set to an integer value greater than 2
945 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
946 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
947 trace messages into this file descriptor.
949 Alternatively, if the variable is set to an absolute path
950 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
951 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
954 Unsetting the variable, or setting it to empty, "0" or
955 "false" (case insensitive) disables trace messages.
957 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
958 Enables trace messages for all accesses to any packs. For each
959 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
960 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
961 pack-related performance problems.
962 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
965 Enables trace messages for all packets coming in or out of a
966 given program. This can help with debugging object negotiation
967 or other protocol issues. Tracing is turned off at a packet
968 starting with "PACK".
969 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
971 'GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE'::
972 Enables performance related trace messages, e.g. total execution
973 time of each Git command.
974 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
977 Enables trace messages printing the .git, working tree and current
978 working directory after Git has completed its setup phase.
979 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
981 'GIT_TRACE_SHALLOW'::
982 Enables trace messages that can help debugging fetching /
983 cloning of shallow repositories.
984 See 'GIT_TRACE' for available trace output options.
986 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
987 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
988 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
989 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
990 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
991 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
992 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
993 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
996 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
997 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
999 GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
1000 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1001 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
1003 GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
1004 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
1005 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
1007 'GIT_REFLOG_ACTION'::
1008 When a ref is updated, reflog entries are created to keep
1009 track of the reason why the ref was updated (which is
1010 typically the name of the high-level command that updated
1011 the ref), in addition to the old and new values of the ref.
1012 A scripted Porcelain command can use set_reflog_action
1013 helper function in `git-sh-setup` to set its name to this
1014 variable when it is invoked as the top level command by the
1015 end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
1018 Discussion[[Discussion]]
1019 ------------------------
1021 More detail on the following is available from the
1022 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1023 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
1025 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
1026 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
1027 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
1028 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
1029 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
1030 as tags and branch heads.
1032 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
1033 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
1034 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
1035 and some number of parent commits.
1037 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
1038 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
1039 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
1040 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
1042 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
1043 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
1044 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
1045 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
1048 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
1049 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
1051 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
1052 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
1053 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
1054 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
1055 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
1056 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
1058 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
1059 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
1060 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
1061 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
1062 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
1063 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
1064 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
1065 content stored in the index.
1067 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
1068 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
1069 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
1071 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
1072 ---------------------
1074 See the references in the "description" section to get started
1075 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
1076 for a first-time user.
1078 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
1079 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
1080 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
1082 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
1084 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
1087 The internals are documented in the
1088 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
1090 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
1091 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
1096 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
1097 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
1098 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.openhub.net/p/git/contributors/summary
1099 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
1101 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
1102 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
1103 the authors for specific parts of the project.
1108 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
1109 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
1110 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
1114 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
1115 linkgit:giteveryday[7], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
1116 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
1117 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
1118 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1122 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite