1 git(1)
2 ======
4 NAME
5 ----
6 git - the stupid content tracker
9 SYNOPSIS
10 --------
11 [verse]
12 'git' [--version] [--exec-path[=GIT_EXEC_PATH]]
13 [-p|--paginate|--no-pager]
14 [--bare] [--git-dir=GIT_DIR] [--work-tree=GIT_WORK_TREE]
15 [--help] COMMAND [ARGS]
17 DESCRIPTION
18 -----------
19 Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an
20 unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations
21 and full access to internals.
23 See linkgit:gittutorial[7] to get started, then see
24 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git] for a useful minimum set of commands, and
25 "man git-commandname" for documentation of each command. CVS users may
26 also want to read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7]. See
27 the link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] for a more in-depth
28 introduction.
30 The COMMAND is either a name of a Git command (see below) or an alias
31 as defined in the configuration file (see linkgit:git-config[1]).
33 Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest git
34 documentation can be viewed at
35 `http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/`.
37 ifdef::stalenotes[]
38 [NOTE]
39 ============
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:
46 * link:v1.6.2.1/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.2.1]
48 * release notes for
49 link:RelNotes-1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
50 link:RelNotes-1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
52 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
54 * release notes for
55 link:RelNotes-1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
56 link:RelNotes-1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
57 link:RelNotes-1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
58 link:RelNotes-1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
60 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
62 * release notes for
63 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
64 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
65 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
66 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
67 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
68 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
69 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
71 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
73 * release notes for
74 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
75 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
76 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
77 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
78 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
79 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
80 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
82 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
84 * release notes for
85 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
86 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
87 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
88 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
89 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
90 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
91 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
93 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
95 * release notes for
96 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
97 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
98 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
99 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
100 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
101 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
102 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
103 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
105 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
107 * release notes for
108 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
109 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
110 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
111 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
112 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
113 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
114 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
115 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
116 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
118 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
120 * release notes for
121 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
122 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
123 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
124 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
125 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
126 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
128 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
130 * release notes for
131 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
132 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
133 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
134 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
135 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
136 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
137 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
139 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
141 * release notes for
142 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
143 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
144 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
145 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
146 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
147 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
148 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
150 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
151 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
152 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
153 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
155 ============
157 endif::stalenotes[]
159 OPTIONS
160 -------
161 --version::
162 Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
164 --help::
165 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
166 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
167 available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
168 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
169 +
170 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
171 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
172 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
173 help ...`.
175 --exec-path::
176 Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
177 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
178 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
179 the current setting and then exit.
181 -p::
182 --paginate::
183 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER).
185 --no-pager::
186 Do not pipe git output into a pager.
188 --git-dir=<path>::
189 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
190 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
191 path or relative path to current working directory.
193 --work-tree=<path>::
194 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
195 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
196 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
197 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
198 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
199 variable. It can be an absolute path or relative path to
200 the directory specified by --git-dir or GIT_DIR.
201 Note: If --git-dir or GIT_DIR are specified but none of
202 --work-tree, GIT_WORK_TREE and core.worktree is specified,
203 the current working directory is regarded as the top directory
204 of your working tree.
206 --bare::
207 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
208 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
209 directory.
212 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
213 ---------------------
215 See the references above to get started using git. The following is
216 probably more detail than necessary for a first-time user.
218 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
219 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
220 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
222 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
223 examples.
225 The internals are documented in the
226 link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
228 GIT COMMANDS
229 ------------
231 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
232 ("plumbing") commands.
234 High-level commands (porcelain)
235 -------------------------------
237 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
238 ancillary user utilities.
240 Main porcelain commands
241 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
243 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
245 Ancillary Commands
246 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
247 Manipulators:
249 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
251 Interrogators:
253 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
256 Interacting with Others
257 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
259 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
260 people via patch over e-mail.
262 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
265 Low-level commands (plumbing)
266 -----------------------------
268 Although git includes its
269 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
270 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
271 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
272 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
274 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
275 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
276 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
277 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
278 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
279 end user experience.
281 The following description divides
282 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
283 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
284 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
285 repositories.
288 Manipulation commands
289 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
291 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
294 Interrogation commands
295 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
297 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
299 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
300 the working tree.
303 Synching repositories
304 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
306 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
308 The following are helper programs used by the above; end users
309 typically do not use them directly.
311 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
314 Internal helper commands
315 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
317 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
318 users typically do not use them directly.
320 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
323 Configuration Mechanism
324 -----------------------
326 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
327 is used to hold per-repository configuration options. It is a
328 simple text file modeled after `.ini` format familiar to some
329 people. Here is an example:
331 ------------
332 #
333 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
334 #
336 ; core variables
337 [core]
338 ; Don't trust file modes
339 filemode = false
341 ; user identity
342 [user]
343 name = "Junio C Hamano"
344 email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
346 ------------
348 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
349 their operation accordingly.
352 Identifier Terminology
353 ----------------------
354 <object>::
355 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
357 <blob>::
358 Indicates a blob object name.
360 <tree>::
361 Indicates a tree object name.
363 <commit>::
364 Indicates a commit object name.
366 <tree-ish>::
367 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
368 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
369 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
370 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
372 <commit-ish>::
373 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
374 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
375 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
376 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
378 <type>::
379 Indicates that an object type is required.
380 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
382 <file>::
383 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
384 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
386 Symbolic Identifiers
387 --------------------
388 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
389 symbolic notation:
391 HEAD::
392 indicates the head of the current branch (i.e. the
393 contents of `$GIT_DIR/HEAD`).
395 <tag>::
396 a valid tag 'name'
397 (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/<tag>`).
399 <head>::
400 a valid head 'name'
401 (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/<head>`).
403 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
404 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:git-rev-parse[1].
407 File/Directory Structure
408 ------------------------
410 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
412 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
414 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
415 `$GIT_DIR`.
418 Terminology
419 -----------
420 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
423 Environment Variables
424 ---------------------
425 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
427 The git Repository
428 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
429 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
430 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
431 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
433 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
434 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
435 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
436 is used.
438 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
439 If the object storage directory is specified via this
440 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
441 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
442 directory is used.
444 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
445 Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
446 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
447 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
448 of git object directories which can be used to search for git
449 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
451 'GIT_DIR'::
452 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
453 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
454 for the base of the repository.
456 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
457 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
458 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
459 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
460 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
461 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
463 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
464 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.
465 If set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir
466 up into while looking for a repository directory.
467 It will not exclude the current working directory or
468 a GIT_DIR set on the command line or in the environment.
469 (Useful for excluding slow-loading network directories.)
471 git Commits
472 ~~~~~~~~~~~
473 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
474 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
475 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
476 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
477 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
478 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
479 'EMAIL'::
480 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
482 git Diffs
483 ~~~~~~~~~
484 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
485 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
486 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
487 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
488 value passed on the git diff command line.
490 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
491 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
492 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
493 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
494 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
496 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
497 +
498 where:
500 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
501 contents of <old|new>,
502 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
503 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
505 +
506 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
507 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
508 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
509 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
510 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
511 +
512 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
513 parameter, <path>.
515 other
516 ~~~~~
517 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
518 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
519 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
520 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
522 'GIT_PAGER'::
523 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
524 to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
525 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
526 linkgit:git-config[1].
528 'GIT_SSH'::
529 If this environment variable is set then 'git-fetch'
530 and 'git-push' will use this command instead
531 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
532 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
533 the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
534 shell command to execute on that remote system.
535 +
536 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
537 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
538 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
539 +
540 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
541 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
542 for further details.
544 'GIT_FLUSH'::
545 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
546 as 'git-blame' (in incremental mode), 'git-rev-list', 'git-log',
547 and 'git-whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
548 after each commit-oriented record have been flushed. If this
549 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
550 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
551 not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
552 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
554 'GIT_TRACE'::
555 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
556 is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
557 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
558 execution and external command execution.
559 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
560 and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
561 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
562 trace messages into this file descriptor.
563 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
564 (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
565 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
566 into it.
568 Discussion[[Discussion]]
569 ------------------------
571 More detail on the following is available from the
572 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
573 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
575 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
576 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
577 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
578 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
579 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
580 as tags and branch heads.
582 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
583 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
584 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
585 and some number of parent commits.
587 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
588 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
589 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
590 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
592 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
593 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
594 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
595 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
596 purpose.
598 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
599 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
601 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
602 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
603 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
604 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA1 names of
605 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
606 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
608 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
609 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
610 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
611 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
612 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
613 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
614 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
615 content stored in the index.
617 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
618 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
619 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
621 Authors
622 -------
623 * git's founding father is Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>.
624 * The current git nurse is Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>.
625 * The git potty was written by Andreas Ericsson <ae@op5.se>.
626 * General upbringing is handled by the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
628 Documentation
629 --------------
630 The documentation for git suite was started by David Greaves
631 <david@dgreaves.com>, and later enhanced greatly by the
632 contributors on the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
634 SEE ALSO
635 --------
636 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
637 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
638 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
639 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual]
641 GIT
642 ---
643 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite