1 git-push(1)
2 ===========
4 NAME
5 ----
6 git-push - Update remote refs along with associated objects
9 SYNOPSIS
10 --------
11 [verse]
12 'git push' [--all | --mirror | --tags] [-n | --dry-run] [--receive-pack=<git-receive-pack>]
13 [--repo=<repository>] [-f | --force] [-v | --verbose]
14 [<repository> <refspec>...]
16 DESCRIPTION
17 -----------
19 Updates remote refs using local refs, while sending objects
20 necessary to complete the given refs.
22 You can make interesting things happen to a repository
23 every time you push into it, by setting up 'hooks' there. See
24 documentation for linkgit:git-receive-pack[1].
27 OPTIONS[[OPTIONS]]
28 ------------------
29 <repository>::
30 The "remote" repository that is destination of a push
31 operation. This parameter can be either a URL
32 (see the section <<URLS,GIT URLS>> below) or the name
33 of a remote (see the section <<REMOTES,REMOTES>> below).
35 <refspec>...::
36 The format of a <refspec> parameter is an optional plus
37 `{plus}`, followed by the source ref <src>, followed
38 by a colon `:`, followed by the destination ref <dst>.
39 It is used to specify with what <src> object the <dst> ref
40 in the remote repository is to be updated.
41 +
42 The <src> is often the name of the branch you would want to push, but
43 it can be any arbitrary "SHA-1 expression", such as `master~4` or
44 `HEAD` (see linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]).
45 +
46 The <dst> tells which ref on the remote side is updated with this
47 push. Arbitrary expressions cannot be used here, an actual ref must
48 be named. If `:`<dst> is omitted, the same ref as <src> will be
49 updated.
50 +
51 The object referenced by <src> is used to update the <dst> reference
52 on the remote side, but by default this is only allowed if the
53 update can fast-forward <dst>. By having the optional leading `{plus}`,
54 you can tell git to update the <dst> ref even when the update is not a
55 fast-forward. This does *not* attempt to merge <src> into <dst>. See
56 EXAMPLES below for details.
57 +
58 `tag <tag>` means the same as `refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>`.
59 +
60 Pushing an empty <src> allows you to delete the <dst> ref from
61 the remote repository.
62 +
63 The special refspec `:` (or `{plus}:` to allow non-fast-forward updates)
64 directs git to push "matching" branches: for every branch that exists on
65 the local side, the remote side is updated if a branch of the same name
66 already exists on the remote side. This is the default operation mode
67 if no explicit refspec is found (that is neither on the command line
68 nor in any Push line of the corresponding remotes file---see below).
70 --all::
71 Instead of naming each ref to push, specifies that all
72 refs under `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/` be pushed.
74 --mirror::
75 Instead of naming each ref to push, specifies that all
76 refs under `$GIT_DIR/refs/` (which includes but is not
77 limited to `refs/heads/`, `refs/remotes/`, and `refs/tags/`)
78 be mirrored to the remote repository. Newly created local
79 refs will be pushed to the remote end, locally updated refs
80 will be force updated on the remote end, and deleted refs
81 will be removed from the remote end. This is the default
82 if the configuration option `remote.<remote>.mirror` is
83 set.
85 -n::
86 --dry-run::
87 Do everything except actually send the updates.
89 --porcelain::
90 Produce machine-readable output. The output status line for each ref
91 will be tab-separated and sent to stdout instead of stderr. The full
92 symbolic names of the refs will be given.
94 --delete::
95 All listed refs are deleted from the remote repository. This is
96 the same as prefixing all refs with a colon.
98 --tags::
99 All refs under `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` are pushed, in
100 addition to refspecs explicitly listed on the command
101 line.
103 --receive-pack=<git-receive-pack>::
104 --exec=<git-receive-pack>::
105 Path to the 'git-receive-pack' program on the remote
106 end. Sometimes useful when pushing to a remote
107 repository over ssh, and you do not have the program in
108 a directory on the default $PATH.
110 -f::
111 --force::
112 Usually, the command refuses to update a remote ref that is
113 not an ancestor of the local ref used to overwrite it.
114 This flag disables the check. This can cause the
115 remote repository to lose commits; use it with care.
117 --repo=<repository>::
118 This option is only relevant if no <repository> argument is
119 passed in the invocation. In this case, 'git-push' derives the
120 remote name from the current branch: If it tracks a remote
121 branch, then that remote repository is pushed to. Otherwise,
122 the name "origin" is used. For this latter case, this option
123 can be used to override the name "origin". In other words,
124 the difference between these two commands
125 +
126 --------------------------
127 git push public #1
128 git push --repo=public #2
129 --------------------------
130 +
131 is that #1 always pushes to "public" whereas #2 pushes to "public"
132 only if the current branch does not track a remote branch. This is
133 useful if you write an alias or script around 'git-push'.
135 --thin::
136 --no-thin::
137 These options are passed to 'git-send-pack'. Thin
138 transfer spends extra cycles to minimize the number of
139 objects to be sent and meant to be used on slower connection.
141 -v::
142 --verbose::
143 Run verbosely.
145 -q::
146 --quiet::
147 Suppress all output, including the listing of updated refs,
148 unless an error occurs.
150 include::urls-remotes.txt[]
152 OUTPUT
153 ------
155 The output of "git push" depends on the transport method used; this
156 section describes the output when pushing over the git protocol (either
157 locally or via ssh).
159 The status of the push is output in tabular form, with each line
160 representing the status of a single ref. Each line is of the form:
162 -------------------------------
163 <flag> <summary> <from> -> <to> (<reason>)
164 -------------------------------
166 If --porcelain is used, then each line of the output is of the form:
168 -------------------------------
169 <flag> \t <from>:<to> \t <summary> (<reason>)
170 -------------------------------
172 flag::
173 A single character indicating the status of the ref. This is
174 blank for a successfully pushed ref, `!` for a ref that was
175 rejected or failed to push, and '=' for a ref that was up to
176 date and did not need pushing (note that the status of up to
177 date refs is shown only when `git push` is running verbosely).
179 summary::
180 For a successfully pushed ref, the summary shows the old and new
181 values of the ref in a form suitable for using as an argument to
182 `git log` (this is `<old>..<new>` in most cases, and
183 `<old>...<new>` for forced non-fast-forward updates). For a
184 failed update, more details are given for the failure.
185 The string `rejected` indicates that git did not try to send the
186 ref at all (typically because it is not a fast-forward). The
187 string `remote rejected` indicates that the remote end refused
188 the update; this rejection is typically caused by a hook on the
189 remote side. The string `remote failure` indicates that the
190 remote end did not report the successful update of the ref
191 (perhaps because of a temporary error on the remote side, a
192 break in the network connection, or other transient error).
194 from::
195 The name of the local ref being pushed, minus its
196 `refs/<type>/` prefix. In the case of deletion, the
197 name of the local ref is omitted.
199 to::
200 The name of the remote ref being updated, minus its
201 `refs/<type>/` prefix.
203 reason::
204 A human-readable explanation. In the case of successfully pushed
205 refs, no explanation is needed. For a failed ref, the reason for
206 failure is described.
208 Note about fast-forwards
209 ------------------------
211 When an update changes a branch (or more in general, a ref) that used to
212 point at commit A to point at another commit B, it is called a
213 fast-forward update if and only if B is a descendant of A.
215 In a fast-forward update from A to B, the set of commits that the original
216 commit A built on top of is a subset of the commits the new commit B
217 builds on top of. Hence, it does not lose any history.
219 In contrast, a non-fast-forward update will lose history. For example,
220 suppose you and somebody else started at the same commit X, and you built
221 a history leading to commit B while the other person built a history
222 leading to commit A. The history looks like this:
224 ----------------
226 B
227 /
228 ---X---A
230 ----------------
232 Further suppose that the other person already pushed changes leading to A
233 back to the original repository you two obtained the original commit X.
235 The push done by the other person updated the branch that used to point at
236 commit X to point at commit A. It is a fast-forward.
238 But if you try to push, you will attempt to update the branch (that
239 now points at A) with commit B. This does _not_ fast-forward. If you did
240 so, the changes introduced by commit A will be lost, because everybody
241 will now start building on top of B.
243 The command by default does not allow an update that is not a fast-forward
244 to prevent such loss of history.
246 If you do not want to lose your work (history from X to B) nor the work by
247 the other person (history from X to A), you would need to first fetch the
248 history from the repository, create a history that contains changes done
249 by both parties, and push the result back.
251 You can perform "git pull", resolve potential conflicts, and "git push"
252 the result. A "git pull" will create a merge commit C between commits A
253 and B.
255 ----------------
257 B---C
258 / /
259 ---X---A
261 ----------------
263 Updating A with the resulting merge commit will fast-forward and your
264 push will be accepted.
266 Alternatively, you can rebase your change between X and B on top of A,
267 with "git pull --rebase", and push the result back. The rebase will
268 create a new commit D that builds the change between X and B on top of
269 A.
271 ----------------
273 B D
274 / /
275 ---X---A
277 ----------------
279 Again, updating A with this commit will fast-forward and your push will be
280 accepted.
282 There is another common situation where you may encounter non-fast-forward
283 rejection when you try to push, and it is possible even when you are
284 pushing into a repository nobody else pushes into. After you push commit
285 A yourself (in the first picture in this section), replace it with "git
286 commit --amend" to produce commit B, and you try to push it out, because
287 forgot that you have pushed A out already. In such a case, and only if
288 you are certain that nobody in the meantime fetched your earlier commit A
289 (and started building on top of it), you can run "git push --force" to
290 overwrite it. In other words, "git push --force" is a method reserved for
291 a case where you do mean to lose history.
294 Examples
295 --------
297 git push::
298 Works like `git push <remote>`, where <remote> is the
299 current branch's remote (or `origin`, if no remote is
300 configured for the current branch).
302 git push origin::
303 Without additional configuration, works like
304 `git push origin :`.
305 +
306 The default behavior of this command when no <refspec> is given can be
307 configured by setting the `push` option of the remote.
308 +
309 For example, to default to pushing only the current branch to `origin`
310 use `git config remote.origin.push HEAD`. Any valid <refspec> (like
311 the ones in the examples below) can be configured as the default for
312 `git push origin`.
314 git push origin :::
315 Push "matching" branches to `origin`. See
316 <refspec> in the <<OPTIONS,OPTIONS>> section above for a
317 description of "matching" branches.
319 git push origin master::
320 Find a ref that matches `master` in the source repository
321 (most likely, it would find `refs/heads/master`), and update
322 the same ref (e.g. `refs/heads/master`) in `origin` repository
323 with it. If `master` did not exist remotely, it would be
324 created.
326 git push origin HEAD::
327 A handy way to push the current branch to the same name on the
328 remote.
330 git push origin master:satellite/master dev:satellite/dev::
331 Use the source ref that matches `master` (e.g. `refs/heads/master`)
332 to update the ref that matches `satellite/master` (most probably
333 `refs/remotes/satellite/master`) in the `origin` repository, then
334 do the same for `dev` and `satellite/dev`.
336 git push origin HEAD:master::
337 Push the current branch to the remote ref matching `master` in the
338 `origin` repository. This form is convenient to push the current
339 branch without thinking about its local name.
341 git push origin master:refs/heads/experimental::
342 Create the branch `experimental` in the `origin` repository
343 by copying the current `master` branch. This form is only
344 needed to create a new branch or tag in the remote repository when
345 the local name and the remote name are different; otherwise,
346 the ref name on its own will work.
348 git push origin :experimental::
349 Find a ref that matches `experimental` in the `origin` repository
350 (e.g. `refs/heads/experimental`), and delete it.
352 git push origin {plus}dev:master::
353 Update the origin repository's master branch with the dev branch,
354 allowing non-fast-forward updates. *This can leave unreferenced
355 commits dangling in the origin repository.* Consider the
356 following situation, where a fast-forward is not possible:
357 +
358 ----
359 o---o---o---A---B origin/master
360 \
361 X---Y---Z dev
362 ----
363 +
364 The above command would change the origin repository to
365 +
366 ----
367 A---B (unnamed branch)
368 /
369 o---o---o---X---Y---Z master
370 ----
371 +
372 Commits A and B would no longer belong to a branch with a symbolic name,
373 and so would be unreachable. As such, these commits would be removed by
374 a `git gc` command on the origin repository.
377 Author
378 ------
379 Written by Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>, later rewritten in C
380 by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
382 Documentation
383 --------------
384 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
386 GIT
387 ---
388 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite