projects / thirdparty / git.git / blame
| Commit | Line | Data |
|---|---|---|
| d28f7cb9 JH |
1 | git-pack-refs(1) |
| 2 | ================ | |
| 3 | ||
| 4 | NAME | |
| 5 | ---- | |
| 6 | git-pack-refs - Pack heads and tags for efficient repository access | |
| 7 | ||
| 8 | SYNOPSIS | |
| 9 | -------- | |
| 7791a1d9 | 10 | [verse] |
| b1889c36 | 11 | 'git pack-refs' [--all] [--no-prune] |
| d28f7cb9 JH |
12 | |
| 13 | DESCRIPTION | |
| 14 | ----------- | |
| 15 | ||
| 16 | Traditionally, tips of branches and tags (collectively known as | |
| 831e61f8 JH |
17 | 'refs') were stored one file per ref in a (sub)directory |
| 18 | under `$GIT_DIR/refs` | |
| d28f7cb9 JH |
19 | directory. While many branch tips tend to be updated often, |
| 20 | most tags and some branch tips are never updated. When a | |
| 21 | repository has hundreds or thousands of tags, this | |
| 22 | one-file-per-ref format both wastes storage and hurts | |
| 23 | performance. | |
| 24 | ||
| 25 | This command is used to solve the storage and performance | |
| 831e61f8 | 26 | problem by storing the refs in a single file, |
| d28f7cb9 | 27 | `$GIT_DIR/packed-refs`. When a ref is missing from the |
| 831e61f8 JH |
28 | traditional `$GIT_DIR/refs` directory hierarchy, it is looked |
| 29 | up in this | |
| d28f7cb9 JH |
30 | file and used if found. |
| 31 | ||
| 38b7ccbe | 32 | Subsequent updates to branches always create new files under |
| 831e61f8 | 33 | `$GIT_DIR/refs` directory hierarchy. |
| d28f7cb9 | 34 | |
| af67e91c | 35 | A recommended practice to deal with a repository with too many |
| 4a81bfa1 JM |
36 | refs is to pack its refs with `--all` once, and |
| 37 | occasionally run `git pack-refs`. Tags are by | |
| af67e91c JH |
38 | definition stationary and are not expected to change. Branch |
| 39 | heads will be packed with the initial `pack-refs --all`, but | |
| 40 | only the currently active branch heads will become unpacked, | |
| 38b7ccbe | 41 | and the next `pack-refs` (without `--all`) will leave them |
| af67e91c JH |
42 | unpacked. |
| 43 | ||
| 44 | ||
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45 | OPTIONS |
| 46 | ------- | |
| 47 | ||
| 3240240f | 48 | --all:: |
| d28f7cb9 | 49 | |
| af67e91c JH |
50 | The command by default packs all tags and refs that are already |
| 51 | packed, and leaves other refs | |
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52 | alone. This is because branches are expected to be actively |
| 53 | developed and packing their tips does not help performance. | |
| 54 | This option causes branch tips to be packed as well. Useful for | |
| 55 | a repository with many branches of historical interests. | |
| 56 | ||
| 3240240f | 57 | --no-prune:: |
| 0f018bab JH |
58 | |
| 59 | The command usually removes loose refs under `$GIT_DIR/refs` | |
| 60 | hierarchy after packing them. This option tells it not to. | |
| d28f7cb9 | 61 | |
| 831e61f8 JH |
62 | |
| 63 | BUGS | |
| 64 | ---- | |
| 65 | ||
| 66 | Older documentation written before the packed-refs mechanism was | |
| 67 | introduced may still say things like ".git/refs/heads/<branch> file | |
| 68 | exists" when it means "branch <branch> exists". | |
| 69 | ||
| 70 | ||
| d28f7cb9 JH |
71 | GIT |
| 72 | --- | |
| 9e1f0a85 | 73 | Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite |