1 git(7)
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 this link:tutorial.html[tutorial] 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 link:cvs-migration.html[CVS migration]. See
27 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:v1.5.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5]
48 * release notes for
49 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
50 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
51 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
52 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
53 link:RelNotes-1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
55 * link:v1.5.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.4]
57 * link:v1.5.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.5]
59 * release notes for
60 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
61 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
62 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
63 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
64 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
65 link:RelNotes-1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
67 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
69 * release notes for
70 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
71 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
72 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
73 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
74 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
75 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
76 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
77 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
78 link:RelNotes-1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
80 * release notes for
81 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
82 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
83 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
84 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
85 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
86 link:RelNotes-1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
88 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
90 * release notes for
91 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
92 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
93 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
94 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
95 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
96 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
97 link:RelNotes-1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
99 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
101 * release notes for
102 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
103 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
104 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
105 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
106 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
107 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
108 link:RelNotes-1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
110 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
111 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
112 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
113 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
115 ============
117 endif::stalenotes[]
119 OPTIONS
120 -------
121 --version::
122 Prints the git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
124 --help::
125 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
126 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
127 available commands are printed. If a git command is named this
128 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
129 +
130 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
131 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
132 because 'git --help ...' is converted internally into 'git
133 help ...'.
135 --exec-path::
136 Path to wherever your core git programs are installed.
137 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
138 environment variable. If no path is given 'git' will print
139 the current setting and then exit.
141 -p|--paginate::
142 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER).
144 --no-pager::
145 Do not pipe git output into a pager.
147 --git-dir=<path>::
148 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
149 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable.
151 --work-tree=<path>::
152 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
153 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
154 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
155 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
156 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
157 variable.
159 --bare::
160 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
161 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
162 directory.
165 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
166 ---------------------
168 See the references above to get started using git. The following is
169 probably more detail than necessary for a first-time user.
171 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
172 user-manual] and the link:core-tutorial.html[Core tutorial] both provide
173 introductions to the underlying git architecture.
175 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
176 examples.
178 The internals are documented link:technical/api-index.html[here].
180 GIT COMMANDS
181 ------------
183 We divide git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
184 ("plumbing") commands.
186 High-level commands (porcelain)
187 -------------------------------
189 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
190 ancillary user utilities.
192 Main porcelain commands
193 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
195 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
197 Ancillary Commands
198 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
199 Manipulators:
201 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
203 Interrogators:
205 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
208 Interacting with Others
209 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
211 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
212 people via patch over e-mail.
214 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
217 Low-level commands (plumbing)
218 -----------------------------
220 Although git includes its
221 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
222 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
223 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
224 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
226 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
227 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
228 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
229 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
230 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
231 end user experience.
233 The following description divides
234 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
235 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
236 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
237 repositories.
240 Manipulation commands
241 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
243 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
246 Interrogation commands
247 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
249 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
251 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
252 the working tree.
255 Synching repositories
256 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
258 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
260 The following are helper programs used by the above; end users
261 typically do not use them directly.
263 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
266 Internal helper commands
267 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
269 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
270 users typically do not use them directly.
272 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
275 Configuration Mechanism
276 -----------------------
278 Starting from 0.99.9 (actually mid 0.99.8.GIT), `.git/config` file
279 is used to hold per-repository configuration options. It is a
280 simple text file modeled after `.ini` format familiar to some
281 people. Here is an example:
283 ------------
284 #
285 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
286 #
288 ; core variables
289 [core]
290 ; Don't trust file modes
291 filemode = false
293 ; user identity
294 [user]
295 name = "Junio C Hamano"
296 email = "junkio@twinsun.com"
298 ------------
300 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
301 their operation accordingly.
304 Identifier Terminology
305 ----------------------
306 <object>::
307 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
309 <blob>::
310 Indicates a blob object name.
312 <tree>::
313 Indicates a tree object name.
315 <commit>::
316 Indicates a commit object name.
318 <tree-ish>::
319 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
320 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
321 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
322 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
324 <commit-ish>::
325 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
326 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
327 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
328 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
330 <type>::
331 Indicates that an object type is required.
332 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
334 <file>::
335 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
336 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
338 Symbolic Identifiers
339 --------------------
340 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
341 symbolic notation:
343 HEAD::
344 indicates the head of the current branch (i.e. the
345 contents of `$GIT_DIR/HEAD`).
347 <tag>::
348 a valid tag 'name'
349 (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/<tag>`).
351 <head>::
352 a valid head 'name'
353 (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/<head>`).
355 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
356 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:git-rev-parse[1].
359 File/Directory Structure
360 ------------------------
362 Please see the link:repository-layout.html[repository layout] document.
364 Read link:hooks.html[hooks] for more details about each hook.
366 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
367 `$GIT_DIR`.
370 Terminology
371 -----------
372 Please see the link:glossary.html[glossary] document.
375 Environment Variables
376 ---------------------
377 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
379 The git Repository
380 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
381 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
382 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
383 git so take care if using Cogito etc.
385 'GIT_INDEX_FILE'::
386 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
387 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
388 is used.
390 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
391 If the object storage directory is specified via this
392 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
393 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
394 directory is used.
396 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
397 Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
398 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
399 specifies a ":" separated list of git object directories which
400 can be used to search for git objects. New objects will not be
401 written to these directories.
403 'GIT_DIR'::
404 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
405 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
406 for the base of the repository.
408 'GIT_WORK_TREE'::
409 Set the path to the working tree. The value will not be
410 used in combination with repositories found automatically in
411 a .git directory (i.e. $GIT_DIR is not set).
412 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
413 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
415 git Commits
416 ~~~~~~~~~~~
417 'GIT_AUTHOR_NAME'::
418 'GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL'::
419 'GIT_AUTHOR_DATE'::
420 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
421 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
422 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
423 'EMAIL'::
424 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
426 git Diffs
427 ~~~~~~~~~
428 'GIT_DIFF_OPTS'::
429 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
430 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
431 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
432 value passed on the git diff command line.
434 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
435 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
436 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
437 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
438 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
440 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
441 +
442 where:
444 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
445 contents of <old|new>,
446 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA1 hashes,
447 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
449 +
450 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
451 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
452 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
453 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
454 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
455 +
456 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
457 parameter, <path>.
459 other
460 ~~~~~
461 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
462 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
463 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
464 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
466 'GIT_PAGER'::
467 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
468 to an empty string or to the value "cat", git will not launch
469 a pager.
471 'GIT_SSH'::
472 If this environment variable is set then linkgit:git-fetch[1]
473 and linkgit:git-push[1] will use this command instead
474 of `ssh` when they need to connect to a remote system.
475 The 'GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two arguments:
476 the 'username@host' (or just 'host') from the URL and the
477 shell command to execute on that remote system.
478 +
479 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
480 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
481 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
482 +
483 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
484 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
485 for further details.
487 'GIT_FLUSH'::
488 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
489 as git-blame (in incremental mode), git-rev-list, git-log,
490 git-whatchanged, etc., will force a flush of the output stream
491 after each commit-oriented record have been flushed. If this
492 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
493 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
494 not set, git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
495 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
497 'GIT_TRACE'::
498 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
499 is case insensitive), git will print `trace:` messages on
500 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
501 execution and external command execution.
502 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
503 and lower than 10 (strictly) then git will interpret this
504 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
505 trace messages into this file descriptor.
506 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
507 (starting with a '/' character), git will interpret this
508 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
509 into it.
511 Discussion[[Discussion]]
512 ------------------------
514 More detail on the following is available from the
515 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[git concepts chapter of the
516 user-manual] and the link:core-tutorial.html[Core tutorial].
518 A git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
519 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
520 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
521 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
522 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
523 as tags and branch heads.
525 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
526 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
527 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
528 and some number of parent commits.
530 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
531 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
532 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
533 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
535 All objects are named by the SHA1 hash of their contents, normally
536 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
537 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
538 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
539 purpose.
541 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
542 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
544 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
545 may contain the SHA1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
546 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA1 name of the most
547 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA1 names of
548 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
549 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
551 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
552 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
553 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
554 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
555 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
556 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
557 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
558 content stored in the index.
560 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
561 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
562 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
564 Authors
565 -------
566 * git's founding father is Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>.
567 * The current git nurse is Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>.
568 * The git potty was written by Andreas Ericsson <ae@op5.se>.
569 * General upbringing is handled by the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
571 Documentation
572 --------------
573 The documentation for git suite was started by David Greaves
574 <david@dgreaves.com>, and later enhanced greatly by the
575 contributors on the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
577 GIT
578 ---
579 Part of the linkgit:git[7] suite