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:v1.8.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4]
  47
  48 * release notes for
  49   link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
  50
  51 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
  52
  53 * release notes for
  54   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
  55   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
  56   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
  57   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
  58   link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
  59
  60 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
  61
  62 * release notes for
  63   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
  64   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
  65   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
  66   link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
  67
  68 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
  69
  70 * release notes for
  71   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
  72   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
  73   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
  74   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
  75   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
  76   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
  77   link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
  78
  79 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
  80
  81 * release notes for
  82   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
  83   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
  84   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
  85   link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
  86
  87 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
  88
  89 * release notes for
  90   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
  91   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
  92   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
  93   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
  94   link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
  95
  96 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
  97
  98 * release notes for
  99   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
 100   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
 101   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
 102   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
 103   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
 104   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
 105   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
 106   link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
 107
 108 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
 109
 110 * release notes for
 111   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
 112   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
 113   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
 114   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
 115   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
 116   link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
 117
 118 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
 119
 120 * release notes for
 121   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
 122   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
 123   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
 124   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
 125   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
 126   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
 127   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
 128   link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
 129
 130 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
 131
 132 * release notes for
 133   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
 134   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
 135   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
 136   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
 137   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
 138   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
 139   link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
 140
 141 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
 142
 143 * release notes for
 144   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
 145   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
 146   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
 147   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
 148   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
 149   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
 150   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
 151   link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
 152
 153 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
 154
 155 * release notes for
 156   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
 157   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
 158   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
 159   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
 160   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
 161   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
 162   link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
 163
 164 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
 165
 166 * release notes for
 167   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
 168   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
 169   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
 170   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
 171   link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
 172
 173 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
 174
 175 * release notes for
 176   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
 177   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
 178   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
 179   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
 180   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
 181   link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
 182
 183 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
 184
 185 * release notes for
 186   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
 187   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
 188   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
 189   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
 190   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
 191   link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
 192
 193 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
 194
 195 * release notes for
 196   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
 197   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
 198   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
 199   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
 200   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
 201   link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
 202
 203 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
 204
 205 * release notes for
 206   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
 207   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
 208   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
 209   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
 210   link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
 211
 212 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
 213
 214 * release notes for
 215   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
 216   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
 217   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
 218   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
 219   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
 220   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
 221   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
 222   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
 223   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
 224   link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
 225
 226 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
 227
 228 * release notes for
 229   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
 230   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
 231   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
 232   link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
 233
 234 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
 235
 236 * release notes for
 237   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
 238   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
 239   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
 240   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
 241   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
 242   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
 243   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
 244   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
 245   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
 246   link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
 247
 248 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
 249
 250 * release notes for
 251   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
 252   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
 253   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
 254   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
 255   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
 256   link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
 257
 258 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
 259
 260 * release notes for
 261   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
 262   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
 263   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
 264   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
 265   link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
 266
 267 * release notes for
 268   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
 269   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
 270   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
 271   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
 272   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
 273   link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
 274
 275 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
 276
 277 * release notes for
 278   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
 279   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
 280   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
 281   link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
 282
 283 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
 284
 285 * release notes for
 286   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
 287   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
 288   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
 289   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
 290   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
 291   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
 292   link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
 293
 294 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
 295
 296 * release notes for
 297   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
 298   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
 299   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
 300   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
 301   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
 302   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
 303   link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
 304
 305 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
 306
 307 * release notes for
 308   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
 309   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
 310   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
 311   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
 312   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
 313   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
 314   link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
 315
 316 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
 317
 318 * release notes for
 319   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
 320   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
 321   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
 322   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
 323   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
 324   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
 325   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
 326   link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
 327
 328 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
 329
 330 * release notes for
 331   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
 332   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
 333   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
 334   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
 335   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
 336   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
 337   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
 338   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
 339   link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
 340
 341 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
 342
 343 * release notes for
 344   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
 345   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
 346   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
 347   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
 348   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
 349   link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
 350
 351 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
 352
 353 * release notes for
 354   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
 355   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
 356   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
 357   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
 358   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
 359   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
 360   link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
 361
 362 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
 363
 364 * release notes for
 365   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
 366   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
 367   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
 368   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
 369   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
 370   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
 371   link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
 372
 373 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
 374   link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
 375   link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
 376   link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
 377
 378 ============
 379
 380 endif::stalenotes[]
 381
 382 OPTIONS
 383 -------
 384 --version::
 385         Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
 386
 387 --help::
 388         Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
 389         commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
 390         available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
 391         option will bring up the manual page for that command.
 392 +
 393 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
 394 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
 395 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
 396 help ...`.
 397
 398 -c <name>=<value>::
 399         Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
 400         given will override values from configuration files.
 401         The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
 402         'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
 403
 404 --exec-path[=<path>]::
 405         Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
 406         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
 407         environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
 408         the current setting and then exit.
 409
 410 --html-path::
 411         Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
 412         documentation is installed and exit.
 413
 414 --man-path::
 415         Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
 416         this version of Git and exit.
 417
 418 --info-path::
 419         Print the path where the Info files documenting this
 420         version of Git are installed and exit.
 421
 422 -p::
 423 --paginate::
 424         Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
 425         output is a terminal.  This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
 426         configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
 427         below).
 428
 429 --no-pager::
 430         Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
 431
 432 --git-dir=<path>::
 433         Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
 434         setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
 435         path or relative path to current working directory.
 436
 437 --work-tree=<path>::
 438         Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
 439         or a path relative to the current working directory.
 440         This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
 441         environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
 442         variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 443         more detailed discussion).
 444
 445 --namespace=<path>::
 446         Set the Git namespace.  See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
 447         details.  Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
 448         variable.
 449
 450 --bare::
 451         Treat the repository as a bare repository.  If GIT_DIR
 452         environment is not set, it is set to the current working
 453         directory.
 454
 455 --no-replace-objects::
 456         Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
 457         linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
 458
 459 --literal-pathspecs::
 460         Treat pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. This is
 461         equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
 462         variable to `1`.
 463
 464
 465 GIT COMMANDS
 466 ------------
 467
 468 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
 469 ("plumbing") commands.
 470
 471 High-level commands (porcelain)
 472 -------------------------------
 473
 474 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
 475 ancillary user utilities.
 476
 477 Main porcelain commands
 478 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 479
 480 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
 481
 482 Ancillary Commands
 483 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 484 Manipulators:
 485
 486 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
 487
 488 Interrogators:
 489
 490 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
 491
 492
 493 Interacting with Others
 494 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 495
 496 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
 497 people via patch over e-mail.
 498
 499 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
 500
 501
 502 Low-level commands (plumbing)
 503 -----------------------------
 504
 505 Although Git includes its
 506 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
 507 development of alternative porcelains.  Developers of such porcelains
 508 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
 509 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
 510
 511 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
 512 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
 513 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
 514 primarily for scripted use.  The interface to Porcelain commands
 515 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
 516 end user experience.
 517
 518 The following description divides
 519 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
 520 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
 521 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
 522 repositories.
 523
 524
 525 Manipulation commands
 526 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 527
 528 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
 529
 530
 531 Interrogation commands
 532 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 533
 534 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
 535
 536 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
 537 the working tree.
 538
 539
 540 Synching repositories
 541 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 542
 543 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
 544
 545 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
 546 typically do not use them directly.
 547
 548 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
 549
 550
 551 Internal helper commands
 552 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 553
 554 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
 555 users typically do not use them directly.
 556
 557 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
 558
 559
 560 Configuration Mechanism
 561 -----------------------
 562
 563 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
 564 repository and are per user.  Such a configuration file may look
 565 like this:
 566
 567 ------------
 568 #
 569 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
 570 #
 571
 572 ; core variables
 573 [core]
 574         ; Don't trust file modes
 575         filemode = false
 576
 577 ; user identity
 578 [user]
 579         name = "Junio C Hamano"
 580         email = "gitster@pobox.com"
 581
 582 ------------
 583
 584 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
 585 their operation accordingly.  See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
 586 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
 587
 588
 589 Identifier Terminology
 590 ----------------------
 591 <object>::
 592         Indicates the object name for any type of object.
 593
 594 <blob>::
 595         Indicates a blob object name.
 596
 597 <tree>::
 598         Indicates a tree object name.
 599
 600 <commit>::
 601         Indicates a commit object name.
 602
 603 <tree-ish>::
 604         Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name.  A
 605         command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 606         operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
 607         <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
 608
 609 <commit-ish>::
 610         Indicates a commit or tag object name.  A
 611         command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
 612         operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
 613         <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
 614
 615 <type>::
 616         Indicates that an object type is required.
 617         Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
 618
 619 <file>::
 620         Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
 621         root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
 622
 623 Symbolic Identifiers
 624 --------------------
 625 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
 626 symbolic notation:
 627
 628 HEAD::
 629         indicates the head of the current branch.
 630
 631 <tag>::
 632         a valid tag 'name'
 633         (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
 634
 635 <head>::
 636         a valid head 'name'
 637         (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
 638
 639 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
 640 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 641
 642
 643 File/Directory Structure
 644 ------------------------
 645
 646 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
 647
 648 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
 649
 650 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 651 `$GIT_DIR`.
 652
 653
 654 Terminology
 655 -----------
 656 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 657
 658
 659 Environment Variables
 660 ---------------------
 661 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
 662
 663 The Git Repository
 664 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 665 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
 666 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
 667 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
 668
 669 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
 670         This environment allows the specification of an alternate
 671         index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
 672         is used.
 673
 674 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
 675         If the object storage directory is specified via this
 676         environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
 677         underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
 678         directory is used.
 679
 680 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
 681         Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
 682         archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
 683         specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
 684         of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
 685         objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
 686
 687 'GIT_DIR'::
 688         If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
 689         specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
 690         for the base of the repository.
 691         The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
 692
 693 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
 694         Set the path to the root of the working tree.
 695         This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
 696         option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
 697
 698 'GIT_NAMESPACE'::
 699         Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
 700         The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
 701
 702 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
 703         This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.  If
 704         set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
 705         into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
 706         excluding slow-loading network directories).  It will not
 707         exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
 708         command line or in the environment.  Normally, Git has to read
 709         the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
 710         might be present in order to compare them with the current
 711         directory.  However, if even this access is slow, you
 712         can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
 713         subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
 714         e.g.,
 715         'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
 716
 717 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
 718         When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
 719         directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
 720         directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
 721         does not cross filesystem boundaries.  This environment variable
 722         can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
 723         boundaries.  Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
 724         an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
 725         command line.
 726
 727 Git Commits
 728 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 729 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
 730 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
 731 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
 732 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
 733 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
 734 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
 735 'EMAIL'::
 736         see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
 737
 738 Git Diffs
 739 ~~~~~~~~~
 740 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
 741         Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
 742         number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
 743         This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
 744         value passed on the Git diff command line.
 745
 746 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
 747         When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
 748         program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
 749         described above.  For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
 750         'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
 751
 752         path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
 753 +
 754 where:
 755
 756         <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
 757                          contents of <old|new>,
 758         <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
 759         <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
 760 +
 761 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
 762 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
 763 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
 764 index).  'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
 765 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
 766 +
 767 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
 768 parameter, <path>.
 769
 770 other
 771 ~~~~~
 772 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
 773         A number controlling the amount of output shown by
 774         the recursive merge strategy.  Overrides merge.verbosity.
 775         See linkgit:git-merge[1]
 776
 777 'GIT_PAGER'::
 778         This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
 779         to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
 780         a pager.  See also the `core.pager` option in
 781         linkgit:git-config[1].
 782
 783 'GIT_EDITOR'::
 784         This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
 785         It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
 786         an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
 787         and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 788
 789 'GIT_SSH'::
 790         If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
 791         and 'git push' will use this command instead
 792         of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
 793         The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
 794         four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
 795         from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
 796         remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
 797         the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
 798         than the default SSH port.
 799 +
 800 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
 801 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
 802 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
 803 +
 804 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
 805 personal `.ssh/config` file.  Please consult your ssh documentation
 806 for further details.
 807
 808 'GIT_ASKPASS'::
 809         If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
 810         acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
 811         will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
 812         and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
 813         option in linkgit:git-config[1].
 814
 815 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
 816         Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
 817         `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file.  This environment variable can
 818         be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
 819         predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
 820         temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
 821         waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
 822
 823 'GIT_FLUSH'::
 824         If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
 825         as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
 826         'git check-attr', 'git check-ignore', and 'git whatchanged' will
 827         force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
 828         flushed. If this
 829         variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
 830         using completely buffered I/O.   If this environment variable is
 831         not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
 832         based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
 833
 834 'GIT_TRACE'::
 835         If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
 836         is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
 837         stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
 838         execution and external command execution.
 839         If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
 840         and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
 841         value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
 842         trace messages into this file descriptor.
 843         Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
 844         (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
 845         as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
 846         into it.
 847
 848 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
 849         If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
 850         the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
 851         access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
 852         recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
 853         pack-related performance problems.
 854
 855 'GIT_TRACE_PACKET'::
 856         If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
 857         coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
 858         debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
 859         is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
 860
 861 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
 862         Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
 863         pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
 864         running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
 865         for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
 866         glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
 867         literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
 868         `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
 869
 870
 871 Discussion[[Discussion]]
 872 ------------------------
 873
 874 More detail on the following is available from the
 875 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 876 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
 877
 878 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
 879 subdirectory at the top level.  The .git directory contains, among other
 880 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
 881 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
 882 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
 883 as tags and branch heads.
 884
 885 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
 886 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
 887 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
 888 and some number of parent commits.
 889
 890 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
 891 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
 892 represents an immediately preceding step.  Commits with more than one
 893 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
 894
 895 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
 896 written as a string of 40 hex digits.  Such names are globally unique.
 897 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
 898 just that commit.  A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
 899 purpose.
 900
 901 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
 902 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
 903
 904 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
 905 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
 906 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
 907 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA-1 names of
 908 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
 909 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
 910
 911 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
 912 path, a blob object and a set of attributes.  The blob object represents
 913 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch.  The
 914 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
 915 corresponding file in the working tree.  Subsequent changes to the
 916 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes.  The index may
 917 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
 918 content stored in the index.
 919
 920 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
 921 for a given pathname.  These stages are used to hold the various
 922 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
 923
 924 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
 925 ---------------------
 926
 927 See the references in the "description" section to get started
 928 using Git.  The following is probably more detail than necessary
 929 for a first-time user.
 930
 931 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
 932 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
 933 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
 934
 935 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
 936
 937 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
 938 examples.
 939
 940 The internals are documented in the
 941 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
 942
 943 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
 944 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
 945
 946
 947 Authors
 948 -------
 949 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
 950 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
 951 <git@vger.kernel.org>.  http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
 952 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
 953
 954 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
 955 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
 956 the authors for specific parts of the project.
 957
 958 Reporting Bugs
 959 --------------
 960
 961 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
 962 development and maintenance is primarily done.  You do not have to be
 963 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
 964
 965 SEE ALSO
 966 --------
 967 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
 968 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
 969 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
 970 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
 971 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
 972
 973 GIT
 974 ---
 975 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite