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:v1.8.1.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.5]
  47
  48 * release notes for
  49   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  50   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  51   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  52   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  53   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  54   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  55
  56 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  57
  58 * release notes for
  59   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  60   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  61   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  62   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  63
  64 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  65
  66 * release notes for
  67   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  68   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  69   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  70   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  71   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  72
  73 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  74
  75 * release notes for
  76   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
  77   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
  78   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
  79   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
  80   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
  81   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
  82   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
  83   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
  84
  85 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
  86
  87 * release notes for
  88   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
  89   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
  90   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
  91   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
  92   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
  93   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
  94
  95 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
  96
  97 * release notes for
  98   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
  99   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 100   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 101   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 102   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 103   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 104   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 105   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 106
 107 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 108
 109 * release notes for
 110   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 111   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 112   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 113   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 114   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 115   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 116   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 117
 118 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 119
 120 * release notes for
 121   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 122   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 123   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 124   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 125   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 126   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 127   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 128   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 129
 130 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 131
 132 * release notes for
 133   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 134   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 135   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 136   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 137   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 138   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 139   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 140
 141 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 142
 143 * release notes for
 144   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 145   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 146   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 147   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 148   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 149
 150 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 151
 152 * release notes for
 153   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 154   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 155   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 156   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 157   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 158   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 159
 160 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 161
 162 * release notes for
 163   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 164   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 165   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 166   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 167   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 168   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 169
 170 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 171
 172 * release notes for
 173   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 174   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 175   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 176   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 177   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 178   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 179
 180 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 181
 182 * release notes for
 183   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 184   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 185   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 186   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 187   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 188
 189 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 190
 191 * release notes for
 192   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 193   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 194   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 195   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 196   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 197   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 198   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 199   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 200   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 201   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 202
 203 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 204
 205 * release notes for
 206   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 207   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 208   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 209   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 210
 211 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 212
 213 * release notes for
 214   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 215   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 216   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 217   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 218   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 219   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 220   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 221   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 222   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 223   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 224
 225 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 226
 227 * release notes for
 228   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 229   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 230   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 231   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 232   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 233   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 234
 235 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 236
 237 * release notes for
 238   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 239   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 240   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 241   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 242   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 243
 244 * release notes for
 245   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 246   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 247   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 248   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 249   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 250   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 251
 252 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 253
 254 * release notes for
 255   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 256   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 257   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 258   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 259
 260 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 261
 262 * release notes for
 263   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 264   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 265   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 266   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 267   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 268   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 269   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 270
 271 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 272
 273 * release notes for
 274   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 275   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 276   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 277   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 278   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 279   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 280   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 281
 282 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 283
 284 * release notes for
 285   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 286   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 287   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 288   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 289   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 290   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 291   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 292
 293 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 294
 295 * release notes for
 296   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 297   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 298   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 299   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 300   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 301   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 302   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 303   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 304
 305 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 306
 307 * release notes for
 308   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 309   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 310   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 311   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 312   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 313   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 314   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 315   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 316   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 317
 318 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 319
 320 * release notes for
 321   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 322   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 323   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 324   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 325   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 326   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 327
 328 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 329
 330 * release notes for
 331   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 332   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 333   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 334   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 335   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 336   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 337   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 338
 339 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 340
 341 * release notes for
 342   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 343   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 344   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 345   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 346   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 347   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 348   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 349
 350 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 351   link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 352   link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 353   link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 354
 355 ============
 356
 357 endif::stalenotes[]
 358
 359 OPTIONS
 360 -------
 361 --version::
 362         Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 363
 364 --help::
 365         Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 366         commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 367         available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
 368         option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 369 +
 370 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 371 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 372 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 373 help ...`.
 374
 375 -c <name>=<value>::
 376         Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 377         given will override values from configuration files.
 378         The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 379         'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 380
 381 --exec-path[=<path>]::
 382         Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
 383         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 384         environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 385         the current setting and then exit.
 386
 387 --html-path::
 388         Print the path, without trailing slash, where git's HTML
 389         documentation is installed and exit.
 390
 391 --man-path::
 392         Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 393         this version of git and exit.
 394
 395 --info-path::
 396         Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 397         version of git are installed and exit.
 398
 399 -p::
 400 --paginate::
 401         Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 402         output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 403         configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 404         below).
 405
 406 --no-pager::
 407         Do not pipe git output into a pager.
 408
 409 --git-dir=<path>::
 410         Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 411         setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 412         path or relative path to current working directory.
 413
 414 --work-tree=<path>::
 415         Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 416         or a path relative to the current working directory.
 417         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 418         environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 419         variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 420         more detailed discussion).
 421
 422 --namespace=<path>::
 423         Set the git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 424         details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 425         variable.
 426
 427 --bare::
 428         Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 429         environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 430         directory.
 431
 432 --no-replace-objects::
 433         Do not use replacement refs to replace git objects. See
 434         linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 435
 436
 437 GIT COMMANDS
 438 ------------
 439
 440 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 441 ("plumbing") commands.
 442
 443 High-level commands (porcelain)
 444 -------------------------------
 445
 446 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 447 ancillary user utilities.
 448
 449 Main porcelain commands
 450 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 451
 452 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 453
 454 Ancillary Commands
 455 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 456 Manipulators:
 457
 458 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 459
 460 Interrogators:
 461
 462 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 463
 464
 465 Interacting with Others
 466 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 467
 468 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 469 people via patch over e-mail.
 470
 471 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 472
 473
 474 Low-level commands (plumbing)
 475 -----------------------------
 476
 477 Although git includes its
 478 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 479 development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 480 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 481 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 482
 483 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 484 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 485 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 486 primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 487 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 488 end user experience.
 489
 490 The following description divides
 491 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 492 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 493 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 494 repositories.
 495
 496
 497 Manipulation commands
 498 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 499
 500 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 501
 502
 503 Interrogation commands
 504 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 505
 506 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 507
 508 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 509 the working tree.
 510
 511
 512 Synching repositories
 513 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 514
 515 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 516
 517 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 518 typically do not use them directly.
 519
 520 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 521
 522
 523 Internal helper commands
 524 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 525
 526 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 527 users typically do not use them directly.
 528
 529 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 530
 531
 532 Configuration Mechanism
 533 -----------------------
 534
 535 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 536 repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 537 like this:
 538
 539 ------------
 540 #
 541 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 542 #
 543
 544 ; core variables
 545 [core]
 546         ; Don't trust file modes
 547         filemode = false
 548
 549 ; user identity
 550 [user]
 551         name = "Junio C Hamano"
 552         email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 553
 554 ------------
 555
 556 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 557 their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 558 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 559
 560
 561 Identifier Terminology
 562 ----------------------
 563 <object>::
 564         Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 565
 566 <blob>::
 567         Indicates a blob object name.
 568
 569 <tree>::
 570         Indicates a tree object name.
 571
 572 <commit>::
 573         Indicates a commit object name.
 574
 575 <tree-ish>::
 576         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 577         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 578         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 579         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 580
 581 <commit-ish>::
 582         Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 583         command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 584         operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 585         <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 586
 587 <type>::
 588         Indicates that an object type is required.
 589         Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 590
 591 <file>::
 592         Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 593         root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 594
 595 Symbolic Identifiers
 596 --------------------
 597 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 598 symbolic notation:
 599
 600 HEAD::
 601         indicates the head of the current branch.
 602
 603 <tag>::
 604         a valid tag 'name'
 605         (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 606
 607 <head>::
 608         a valid head 'name'
 609         (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 610
 611 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 612 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 613
 614
 615 File/Directory Structure
 616 ------------------------
 617
 618 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 619
 620 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 621
 622 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 623 `$GIT_DIR`.
 624
 625
 626 Terminology
 627 -----------
 628 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 629
 630
 631 Environment Variables
 632 ---------------------
 633 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
 634
 635 The git Repository
 636 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 637 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
 638 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 639 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 640
 641 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 642         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 643         index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 644         is used.
 645
 646 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 647         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 648         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 649         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 650         directory is used.
 651
 652 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 653         Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
 654         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 655         specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 656         of git object directories which can be used to search for git
 657         objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 658
 659 'GIT_DIR'::
 660         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 661         specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 662         for the base of the repository.
 663         The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 664
 665 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 666         Set the path to the working tree.  The value will not be
 667         used in combination with repositories found automatically in
 668         a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
 669         This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 670         option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 671
 672 'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 673         Set the git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 674         The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 675
 676 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 677         This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 678         set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir up
 679         into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 680         excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 681         exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 682         command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 683         the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 684         might be present in order to compare them with the current
 685         directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 686         can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 687         subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 688         e.g.,
 689         'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 690
 691 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 692         When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 693         directory, git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 694         directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 695         does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 696         can be set to true to tell git not to stop at filesystem
 697         boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 698         an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 699         command line.
 700
 701 git Commits
 702 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 703 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 704 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 705 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 706 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 707 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 708 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 709 'EMAIL'::
 710         see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 711
 712 git Diffs
 713 ~~~~~~~~~
 714 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 715         Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 716         number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 717         This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 718         value passed on the git diff command line.
 719
 720 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 721         When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 722         program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 723         described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 724         'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 725
 726         path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 727 +
 728 where:
 729
 730         <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 731                          contents of <old|new>,
 732         <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
 733         <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 734 +
 735 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 736 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 737 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 738 index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 739 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 740 +
 741 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 742 parameter, <path>.
 743
 744 other
 745 ~~~~~
 746 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 747         A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 748         the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 749         See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 750
 751 'GIT_PAGER'::
 752         This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 753         to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
 754         a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 755         linkgit:git-config[1].
 756
 757 'GIT_EDITOR'::
 758         This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 759         It is used by several git commands when, on interactive mode,
 760         an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 761         and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 762
 763 'GIT_SSH'::
 764         If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 765         and 'git push' will use this command instead
 766         of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 767         The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 768         four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 769         from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 770         remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 771         the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 772         than the default SSH port.
 773 +
 774 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 775 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 776 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 777 +
 778 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 779 personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 780 for further details.
 781
 782 'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 783         If this environment variable is set, then git commands which need to
 784         acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 785         will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 786         and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 787         option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 788
 789 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 790         Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 791         `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 792         be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 793         predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 794         temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 795         waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 796
 797 'GIT_FLUSH'::
 798         If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 799         as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 800         and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
 801         after each commit-oriented record have been flushed.   If this
 802         variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 803         using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 804         not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 805         based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 806
 807 'GIT_TRACE'::
 808         If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 809         is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
 810         stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 811         execution and external command execution.
 812         If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 813         and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
 814         value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 815         trace messages into this file descriptor.
 816         Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 817         (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
 818         as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 819         into it.
 820
 821 Discussion[[Discussion]]
 822 ------------------------
 823
 824 More detail on the following is available from the
 825 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 826 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 827
 828 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 829 subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 830 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 831 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 832 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 833 as tags and branch heads.
 834
 835 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 836 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 837 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 838 and some number of parent commits.
 839
 840 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 841 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 842 represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 843 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 844
 845 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
 846 written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 847 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 848 just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 849 purpose.
 850
 851 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 852 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 853
 854 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 855 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 856 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
 857 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA1 names of
 858 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 859 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 860
 861 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 862 path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 863 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 864 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 865 corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 866 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 867 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 868 content stored in the index.
 869
 870 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 871 for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 872 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 873
 874 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 875 ---------------------
 876
 877 See the references in the "description" section to get started
 878 using git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 879 for a first-time user.
 880
 881 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
 882 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 883 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
 884
 885 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 886
 887 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 888 examples.
 889
 890 The internals are documented in the
 891 link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
 892
 893 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 894 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 895
 896
 897 Authors
 898 -------
 899 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 900 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the git mailing list
 901 <git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 902 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 903
 904 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 905 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 906 the authors for specific parts of the project.
 907
 908 Reporting Bugs
 909 --------------
 910
 911 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 912 development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 913 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 914
 915 SEE ALSO
 916 --------
 917 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 918 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 919 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 920 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 921 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 922
 923 GIT
 924 ---
 925 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite