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]] [--html-path]
13 [-p|--paginate|--no-pager] [--no-replace-objects]
14 [--bare] [--git-dir=GIT_DIR] [--work-tree=GIT_WORK_TREE]
15 [-c name=value]
16 [--help] COMMAND [ARGS]
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.
24 See linkgit:gittutorial[7] to get started, then see
25 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git] for a useful minimum set of commands, and
26 "man git-commandname" for documentation of each command. CVS users may
27 also want to read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7]. See
28 the link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] for a more in-depth
29 introduction.
31 The COMMAND is either a name of a Git command (see below) or an alias
32 as defined in the configuration file (see linkgit:git-config[1]).
34 Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest git
35 documentation can be viewed at
36 `http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/`.
38 ifdef::stalenotes[]
39 [NOTE]
40 ============
42 You are reading the documentation for the latest (possibly
43 unreleased) version of git, that is available from 'master'
44 branch of the `git.git` repository.
45 Documentation for older releases are available here:
47 * link:v1.7.2/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2]
49 * release notes for
50 link:RelNotes-1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
52 * link:v1.7.1.2/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.2]
54 * release notes for
55 link:RelNotes-1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
56 link:RelNotes-1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
57 link:RelNotes-1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
59 * link:v1.7.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.7]
61 * release notes for
62 link:RelNotes-1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
63 link:RelNotes-1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
64 link:RelNotes-1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
65 link:RelNotes-1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
66 link:RelNotes-1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
67 link:RelNotes-1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
68 link:RelNotes-1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
69 link:RelNotes-1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
71 * link:v1.6.6.2/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.2]
73 * release notes for
74 link:RelNotes-1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
75 link:RelNotes-1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
76 link:RelNotes-1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
78 * link:v1.6.5.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.8]
80 * release notes for
81 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
82 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
83 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
84 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
85 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
86 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
87 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
88 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
89 link:RelNotes-1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
91 * link:v1.6.4.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.4]
93 * release notes for
94 link:RelNotes-1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
95 link:RelNotes-1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
96 link:RelNotes-1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
97 link:RelNotes-1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
98 link:RelNotes-1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
100 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
102 * release notes for
103 link:RelNotes-1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
104 link:RelNotes-1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
105 link:RelNotes-1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
106 link:RelNotes-1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
107 link:RelNotes-1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
109 * release notes for
110 link:RelNotes-1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
111 link:RelNotes-1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
112 link:RelNotes-1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
113 link:RelNotes-1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
114 link:RelNotes-1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
115 link:RelNotes-1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
117 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
119 * release notes for
120 link:RelNotes-1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
121 link:RelNotes-1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
122 link:RelNotes-1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
123 link:RelNotes-1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
125 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
127 * release notes for
128 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
129 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
130 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
131 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
132 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
133 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
134 link:RelNotes-1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
136 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
138 * release notes for
139 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
140 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
141 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
142 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
143 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
144 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
145 link:RelNotes-1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
147 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
149 * release notes for
150 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
151 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
152 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
153 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
154 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
155 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
156 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
158 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
160 * release notes for
161 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
162 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
163 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
164 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
165 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
166 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
167 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
168 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
170 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
172 * release notes for
173 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
174 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
175 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
176 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
177 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
178 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
179 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
180 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
181 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
183 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
185 * release notes for
186 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
187 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
188 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
189 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
190 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
191 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
193 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
195 * release notes for
196 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
197 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
198 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
199 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
200 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
201 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
202 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
204 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
206 * release notes for
207 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
208 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
209 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
210 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
211 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
212 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
213 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
215 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
216 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
217 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
218 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
220 ============
222 endif::stalenotes[]
224 OPTIONS
225 -------
226 --version::
227 Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
229 --help::
230 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
231 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
232 available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
233 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
234 +
235 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
236 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
237 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
238 help ...`.
240 -c <name>=<value>::
241 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
242 given will override values from configuration files.
243 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
244 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
246 --exec-path::
247 Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
248 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
249 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
250 the current setting and then exit.
252 --html-path::
253 Print the path to wherever your git HTML documentation is installed
254 and exit.
256 -p::
257 --paginate::
258 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
259 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
260 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
261 below).
263 --no-pager::
264 Do not pipe git output into a pager.
266 --git-dir=<path>::
267 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
268 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
269 path or relative path to current working directory.
271 --work-tree=<path>::
272 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
273 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
274 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
275 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
276 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
277 variable. It can be an absolute path or relative path to
278 the directory specified by --git-dir or GIT_DIR.
279 Note: If --git-dir or GIT_DIR are specified but none of
280 --work-tree, GIT_WORK_TREE and core.worktree is specified,
281 the current working directory is regarded as the top directory
282 of your working tree.
284 --bare::
285 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
286 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
287 directory.
289 --no-replace-objects::
290 Do not use replacement refs to replace git objects. See
291 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
294 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
295 ---------------------
297 See the references above to get started using git. The following is
298 probably more detail than necessary for a first-time user.
300 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
301 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
302 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
304 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
306 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
307 examples.
309 The internals are documented in the
310 link:technical/api-index.html[GIT API documentation].
312 GIT COMMANDS
313 ------------
315 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
316 ("plumbing") commands.
318 High-level commands (porcelain)
319 -------------------------------
321 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
322 ancillary user utilities.
324 Main porcelain commands
325 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
327 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
329 Ancillary Commands
330 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
331 Manipulators:
333 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
335 Interrogators:
337 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
340 Interacting with Others
341 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
343 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
344 people via patch over e-mail.
346 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
349 Low-level commands (plumbing)
350 -----------------------------
352 Although git includes its
353 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
354 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
355 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
356 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
358 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
359 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
360 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
361 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
362 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
363 end user experience.
365 The following description divides
366 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
367 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
368 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
369 repositories.
372 Manipulation commands
373 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
375 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
378 Interrogation commands
379 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
381 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
383 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
384 the working tree.
387 Synching repositories
388 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
390 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
392 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
393 typically do not use them directly.
395 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
398 Internal helper commands
399 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
401 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
402 users typically do not use them directly.
404 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
407 Configuration Mechanism
408 -----------------------
410 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
411 is used to hold per-repository configuration options. It is a
412 simple text file modeled after `.ini` format familiar to some
413 people. Here is an example:
415 ------------
416 #
417 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
418 #
420 ; core variables
421 [core]
422 ; Don't trust file modes
423 filemode = false
425 ; user identity
426 [user]
427 name = "Junio C Hamano"
428 email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
430 ------------
432 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
433 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
434 list.
437 Identifier Terminology
438 ----------------------
439 <object>::
440 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
442 <blob>::
443 Indicates a blob object name.
445 <tree>::
446 Indicates a tree object name.
448 <commit>::
449 Indicates a commit object name.
451 <tree-ish>::
452 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
453 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
454 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
455 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
457 <commit-ish>::
458 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
459 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
460 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
461 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
463 <type>::
464 Indicates that an object type is required.
465 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
467 <file>::
468 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
469 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
471 Symbolic Identifiers
472 --------------------
473 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
474 symbolic notation:
476 HEAD::
477 indicates the head of the current branch (i.e. the
478 contents of `$GIT_DIR/HEAD`).
480 <tag>::
481 a valid tag 'name'
482 (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/<tag>`).
484 <head>::
485 a valid head 'name'
486 (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/<head>`).
488 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
489 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[1].
492 File/Directory Structure
493 ------------------------
495 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
497 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
499 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
500 `$GIT_DIR`.
503 Terminology
504 -----------
505 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
508 Environment Variables
509 ---------------------
510 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
512 The git Repository
513 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
514 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
515 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
516 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
518 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
519 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
520 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
521 is used.
523 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
524 If the object storage directory is specified via this
525 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
526 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
527 directory is used.
529 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
530 Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
531 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
532 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
533 of git object directories which can be used to search for git
534 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
536 'GIT_DIR'::
537 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
538 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
539 for the base of the repository.
541 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
542 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
543 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
544 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
545 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
546 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
548 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
549 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths.
550 If set, it is a list of directories that git should not chdir
551 up into while looking for a repository directory.
552 It will not exclude the current working directory or
553 a GIT_DIR set on the command line or in the environment.
554 (Useful for excluding slow-loading network directories.)
556 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
557 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
558 directory, git tries to find such a directory in the parent
559 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
560 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
561 can be set to true to tell git not to stop at filesystem
562 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
563 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
564 command line.
566 git Commits
567 ~~~~~~~~~~~
568 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
569 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
570 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
571 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
572 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
573 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
574 'EMAIL'::
575 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
577 git Diffs
578 ~~~~~~~~~
579 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
580 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
581 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
582 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
583 value passed on the git diff command line.
585 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
586 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
587 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
588 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
589 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
591 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
592 +
593 where:
595 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
596 contents of <old|new>,
597 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
598 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
600 +
601 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
602 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
603 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
604 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
605 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
606 +
607 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
608 parameter, <path>.
610 other
611 ~~~~~
612 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
613 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
614 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
615 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
617 'GIT_PAGER'::
618 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
619 to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
620 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
621 linkgit:git-config[1].
623 'GIT_SSH'::
624 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
625 and 'git push' will use this command instead
626 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
627 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
628 the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
629 shell command to execute on that remote system.
630 +
631 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
632 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
633 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
634 +
635 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
636 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
637 for further details.
639 'GIT_FLUSH'::
640 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
641 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
642 and 'git whatchanged' will force a flush of the output stream
643 after each commit-oriented record have been flushed. If this
644 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
645 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
646 not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
647 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
649 'GIT_TRACE'::
650 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
651 is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
652 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
653 execution and external command execution.
654 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
655 and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
656 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
657 trace messages into this file descriptor.
658 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
659 (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
660 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
661 into it.
663 Discussion[[Discussion]]
664 ------------------------
666 More detail on the following is available from the
667 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
668 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
670 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
671 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
672 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
673 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
674 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
675 as tags and branch heads.
677 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
678 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
679 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
680 and some number of parent commits.
682 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
683 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
684 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
685 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
687 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
688 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
689 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
690 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
691 purpose.
693 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
694 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
696 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
697 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
698 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
699 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA1 names of
700 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
701 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
703 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
704 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
705 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
706 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
707 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
708 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
709 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
710 content stored in the index.
712 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
713 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
714 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
716 Authors
717 -------
718 * git's founding father is Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>.
719 * The current git nurse is Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>.
720 * The git potty was written by Andreas Ericsson <ae@op5.se>.
721 * General upbringing is handled by the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
723 Documentation
724 --------------
725 The documentation for git suite was started by David Greaves
726 <david@dgreaves.com>, and later enhanced greatly by the
727 contributors on the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
729 SEE ALSO
730 --------
731 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
732 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
733 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
734 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
735 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
737 GIT
738 ---
739 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite