6 git - the stupid content tracker
12 'git' [--version] [--help] [-c <name>=<value>]
13 [--exec-path[=<path>]] [--html-path] [--man-path] [--info-path]
14 [-p|--paginate|--no-pager] [--no-replace-objects] [--bare]
15 [--git-dir=<path>] [--work-tree=<path>] [--namespace=<name>]
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
26 commands. The link:user-manual.html[Git User's Manual] has a more
27 in-depth introduction.
29 After you mastered the basic concepts, you can come back to this
30 page to learn what commands Git offers. You can learn more about
31 individual Git commands with "git help command". linkgit:gitcli[7]
32 manual page gives you an overview of the command line command syntax.
34 Formatted and hyperlinked version of the latest Git documentation
35 can be viewed at `http://git-htmldocs.googlecode.com/git/git.html`.
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:v1.8.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.4]
49 link:RelNotes/1.8.4.txt[1.8.4].
51 * link:v1.8.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.3.4]
54 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.4.txt[1.8.3.4],
55 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.3.txt[1.8.3.3],
56 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.2.txt[1.8.3.2],
57 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.1.txt[1.8.3.1],
58 link:RelNotes/1.8.3.txt[1.8.3].
60 * link:v1.8.2.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.2.3]
63 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.3.txt[1.8.2.3],
64 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.2.txt[1.8.2.2],
65 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.1.txt[1.8.2.1],
66 link:RelNotes/1.8.2.txt[1.8.2].
68 * link:v1.8.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.1.6]
71 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.6.txt[1.8.1.6],
72 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.5.txt[1.8.1.5],
73 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.4.txt[1.8.1.4],
74 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.3.txt[1.8.1.3],
75 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.2.txt[1.8.1.2],
76 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.1.txt[1.8.1.1],
77 link:RelNotes/1.8.1.txt[1.8.1].
79 * link:v1.8.0.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.8.0.3]
82 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.3.txt[1.8.0.3],
83 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.2.txt[1.8.0.2],
84 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.1.txt[1.8.0.1],
85 link:RelNotes/1.8.0.txt[1.8.0].
87 * link:v1.7.12.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.12.4]
90 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.4.txt[1.7.12.4],
91 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.3.txt[1.7.12.3],
92 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.2.txt[1.7.12.2],
93 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.1.txt[1.7.12.1],
94 link:RelNotes/1.7.12.txt[1.7.12].
96 * link:v1.7.11.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.11.7]
99 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.7.txt[1.7.11.7],
100 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.6.txt[1.7.11.6],
101 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.5.txt[1.7.11.5],
102 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.4.txt[1.7.11.4],
103 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.3.txt[1.7.11.3],
104 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.2.txt[1.7.11.2],
105 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.1.txt[1.7.11.1],
106 link:RelNotes/1.7.11.txt[1.7.11].
108 * link:v1.7.10.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.10.5]
111 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.5.txt[1.7.10.5],
112 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.4.txt[1.7.10.4],
113 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.3.txt[1.7.10.3],
114 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.2.txt[1.7.10.2],
115 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.1.txt[1.7.10.1],
116 link:RelNotes/1.7.10.txt[1.7.10].
118 * link:v1.7.9.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.9.7]
121 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.7.txt[1.7.9.7],
122 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.6.txt[1.7.9.6],
123 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.5.txt[1.7.9.5],
124 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.4.txt[1.7.9.4],
125 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.3.txt[1.7.9.3],
126 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.2.txt[1.7.9.2],
127 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.1.txt[1.7.9.1],
128 link:RelNotes/1.7.9.txt[1.7.9].
130 * link:v1.7.8.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.8.6]
133 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.6.txt[1.7.8.6],
134 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.5.txt[1.7.8.5],
135 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.4.txt[1.7.8.4],
136 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.3.txt[1.7.8.3],
137 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.2.txt[1.7.8.2],
138 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.1.txt[1.7.8.1],
139 link:RelNotes/1.7.8.txt[1.7.8].
141 * link:v1.7.7.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.7.7]
144 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.7.txt[1.7.7.7],
145 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.6.txt[1.7.7.6],
146 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.5.txt[1.7.7.5],
147 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.4.txt[1.7.7.4],
148 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.3.txt[1.7.7.3],
149 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.2.txt[1.7.7.2],
150 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.1.txt[1.7.7.1],
151 link:RelNotes/1.7.7.txt[1.7.7].
153 * link:v1.7.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.6.6]
156 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.6.txt[1.7.6.6],
157 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.5.txt[1.7.6.5],
158 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.4.txt[1.7.6.4],
159 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.3.txt[1.7.6.3],
160 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.2.txt[1.7.6.2],
161 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.1.txt[1.7.6.1],
162 link:RelNotes/1.7.6.txt[1.7.6].
164 * link:v1.7.5.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.5.4]
167 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.4.txt[1.7.5.4],
168 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.3.txt[1.7.5.3],
169 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.2.txt[1.7.5.2],
170 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.1.txt[1.7.5.1],
171 link:RelNotes/1.7.5.txt[1.7.5].
173 * link:v1.7.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.4.5]
176 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.5.txt[1.7.4.5],
177 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.4.txt[1.7.4.4],
178 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.3.txt[1.7.4.3],
179 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.2.txt[1.7.4.2],
180 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.1.txt[1.7.4.1],
181 link:RelNotes/1.7.4.txt[1.7.4].
183 * link:v1.7.3.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.3.5]
186 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.5.txt[1.7.3.5],
187 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.4.txt[1.7.3.4],
188 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.3.txt[1.7.3.3],
189 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.2.txt[1.7.3.2],
190 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.1.txt[1.7.3.1],
191 link:RelNotes/1.7.3.txt[1.7.3].
193 * link:v1.7.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.2.5]
196 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.5.txt[1.7.2.5],
197 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.4.txt[1.7.2.4],
198 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.3.txt[1.7.2.3],
199 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.2.txt[1.7.2.2],
200 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.1.txt[1.7.2.1],
201 link:RelNotes/1.7.2.txt[1.7.2].
203 * link:v1.7.1.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.1.4]
206 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.4.txt[1.7.1.4],
207 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.3.txt[1.7.1.3],
208 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.2.txt[1.7.1.2],
209 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.1.txt[1.7.1.1],
210 link:RelNotes/1.7.1.txt[1.7.1].
212 * link:v1.7.0.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.7.0.9]
215 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.9.txt[1.7.0.9],
216 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.8.txt[1.7.0.8],
217 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.7.txt[1.7.0.7],
218 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.6.txt[1.7.0.6],
219 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.5.txt[1.7.0.5],
220 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.4.txt[1.7.0.4],
221 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.3.txt[1.7.0.3],
222 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.2.txt[1.7.0.2],
223 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.1.txt[1.7.0.1],
224 link:RelNotes/1.7.0.txt[1.7.0].
226 * link:v1.6.6.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.6.3]
229 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.3.txt[1.6.6.3],
230 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.2.txt[1.6.6.2],
231 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.1.txt[1.6.6.1],
232 link:RelNotes/1.6.6.txt[1.6.6].
234 * link:v1.6.5.9/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.5.9]
237 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.9.txt[1.6.5.9],
238 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.8.txt[1.6.5.8],
239 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.7.txt[1.6.5.7],
240 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.6.txt[1.6.5.6],
241 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.5.txt[1.6.5.5],
242 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.4.txt[1.6.5.4],
243 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.3.txt[1.6.5.3],
244 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.2.txt[1.6.5.2],
245 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.1.txt[1.6.5.1],
246 link:RelNotes/1.6.5.txt[1.6.5].
248 * link:v1.6.4.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.4.5]
251 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.5.txt[1.6.4.5],
252 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.4.txt[1.6.4.4],
253 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.3.txt[1.6.4.3],
254 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.2.txt[1.6.4.2],
255 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.1.txt[1.6.4.1],
256 link:RelNotes/1.6.4.txt[1.6.4].
258 * link:v1.6.3.4/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.3.4]
261 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.4.txt[1.6.3.4],
262 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.3.txt[1.6.3.3],
263 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.2.txt[1.6.3.2],
264 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.1.txt[1.6.3.1],
265 link:RelNotes/1.6.3.txt[1.6.3].
268 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.5.txt[1.6.2.5],
269 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.4.txt[1.6.2.4],
270 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.3.txt[1.6.2.3],
271 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.2.txt[1.6.2.2],
272 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.1.txt[1.6.2.1],
273 link:RelNotes/1.6.2.txt[1.6.2].
275 * link:v1.6.1.3/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.1.3]
278 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.3.txt[1.6.1.3],
279 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.2.txt[1.6.1.2],
280 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.1.txt[1.6.1.1],
281 link:RelNotes/1.6.1.txt[1.6.1].
283 * link:v1.6.0.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.6.0.6]
286 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.6.txt[1.6.0.6],
287 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.5.txt[1.6.0.5],
288 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.4.txt[1.6.0.4],
289 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.3.txt[1.6.0.3],
290 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.2.txt[1.6.0.2],
291 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.1.txt[1.6.0.1],
292 link:RelNotes/1.6.0.txt[1.6.0].
294 * link:v1.5.6.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.6.6]
297 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.6.txt[1.5.6.6],
298 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.5.txt[1.5.6.5],
299 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.4.txt[1.5.6.4],
300 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.3.txt[1.5.6.3],
301 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.2.txt[1.5.6.2],
302 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.1.txt[1.5.6.1],
303 link:RelNotes/1.5.6.txt[1.5.6].
305 * link:v1.5.5.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.5.6]
308 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.6.txt[1.5.5.6],
309 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.5.txt[1.5.5.5],
310 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.4.txt[1.5.5.4],
311 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.3.txt[1.5.5.3],
312 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.2.txt[1.5.5.2],
313 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.1.txt[1.5.5.1],
314 link:RelNotes/1.5.5.txt[1.5.5].
316 * link:v1.5.4.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.4.7]
319 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.7.txt[1.5.4.7],
320 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.6.txt[1.5.4.6],
321 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.5.txt[1.5.4.5],
322 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.4.txt[1.5.4.4],
323 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.3.txt[1.5.4.3],
324 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.2.txt[1.5.4.2],
325 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.1.txt[1.5.4.1],
326 link:RelNotes/1.5.4.txt[1.5.4].
328 * link:v1.5.3.8/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.3.8]
331 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.8.txt[1.5.3.8],
332 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.7.txt[1.5.3.7],
333 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.6.txt[1.5.3.6],
334 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.5.txt[1.5.3.5],
335 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.4.txt[1.5.3.4],
336 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.3.txt[1.5.3.3],
337 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.2.txt[1.5.3.2],
338 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.1.txt[1.5.3.1],
339 link:RelNotes/1.5.3.txt[1.5.3].
341 * link:v1.5.2.5/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.2.5]
344 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.5.txt[1.5.2.5],
345 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.4.txt[1.5.2.4],
346 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.3.txt[1.5.2.3],
347 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.2.txt[1.5.2.2],
348 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.1.txt[1.5.2.1],
349 link:RelNotes/1.5.2.txt[1.5.2].
351 * link:v1.5.1.6/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.1.6]
354 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.6.txt[1.5.1.6],
355 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.5.txt[1.5.1.5],
356 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.4.txt[1.5.1.4],
357 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.3.txt[1.5.1.3],
358 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.2.txt[1.5.1.2],
359 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.1.txt[1.5.1.1],
360 link:RelNotes/1.5.1.txt[1.5.1].
362 * link:v1.5.0.7/git.html[documentation for release 1.5.0.7]
365 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.7.txt[1.5.0.7],
366 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.6.txt[1.5.0.6],
367 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.5.txt[1.5.0.5],
368 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.3.txt[1.5.0.3],
369 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.2.txt[1.5.0.2],
370 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.1.txt[1.5.0.1],
371 link:RelNotes/1.5.0.txt[1.5.0].
373 * documentation for release link:v1.4.4.4/git.html[1.4.4.4],
374 link:v1.3.3/git.html[1.3.3],
375 link:v1.2.6/git.html[1.2.6],
376 link:v1.0.13/git.html[1.0.13].
385 Prints the Git suite version that the 'git' program came from.
388 Prints the synopsis and a list of the most commonly used
389 commands. If the option '--all' or '-a' is given then all
390 available commands are printed. If a Git command is named this
391 option will bring up the manual page for that command.
393 Other options are available to control how the manual page is
394 displayed. See linkgit:git-help[1] for more information,
395 because `git --help ...` is converted internally into `git
399 Pass a configuration parameter to the command. The value
400 given will override values from configuration files.
401 The <name> is expected in the same format as listed by
402 'git config' (subkeys separated by dots).
404 --exec-path[=<path>]::
405 Path to wherever your core Git programs are installed.
406 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_EXEC_PATH
407 environment variable. If no path is given, 'git' will print
408 the current setting and then exit.
411 Print the path, without trailing slash, where Git's HTML
412 documentation is installed and exit.
415 Print the manpath (see `man(1)`) for the man pages for
416 this version of Git and exit.
419 Print the path where the Info files documenting this
420 version of Git are installed and exit.
424 Pipe all output into 'less' (or if set, $PAGER) if standard
425 output is a terminal. This overrides the `pager.<cmd>`
426 configuration options (see the "Configuration Mechanism" section
430 Do not pipe Git output into a pager.
433 Set the path to the repository. This can also be controlled by
434 setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be an absolute
435 path or relative path to current working directory.
438 Set the path to the working tree. It can be an absolute path
439 or a path relative to the current working directory.
440 This can also be controlled by setting the GIT_WORK_TREE
441 environment variable and the core.worktree configuration
442 variable (see core.worktree in linkgit:git-config[1] for a
443 more detailed discussion).
446 Set the Git namespace. See linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for more
447 details. Equivalent to setting the `GIT_NAMESPACE` environment
451 Treat the repository as a bare repository. If GIT_DIR
452 environment is not set, it is set to the current working
455 --no-replace-objects::
456 Do not use replacement refs to replace Git objects. See
457 linkgit:git-replace[1] for more information.
459 --literal-pathspecs::
460 Treat pathspecs literally (i.e. no globbing, no pathspec magic).
461 This is equivalent to setting the `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS` environment
465 Add "glob" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
466 the `GIT_GLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Disabling
467 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
471 Add "literal" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
472 the `GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`. Enabling
473 globbing on individual pathspecs can be done using pathspec
477 Add "icase" magic to all pathspec. This is equivalent to setting
478 the `GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS` environment variable to `1`.
483 We divide Git into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level
484 ("plumbing") commands.
486 High-level commands (porcelain)
487 -------------------------------
489 We separate the porcelain commands into the main commands and some
490 ancillary user utilities.
492 Main porcelain commands
493 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
495 include::cmds-mainporcelain.txt[]
501 include::cmds-ancillarymanipulators.txt[]
505 include::cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt[]
508 Interacting with Others
509 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
511 These commands are to interact with foreign SCM and with other
512 people via patch over e-mail.
514 include::cmds-foreignscminterface.txt[]
517 Low-level commands (plumbing)
518 -----------------------------
520 Although Git includes its
521 own porcelain layer, its low-level commands are sufficient to support
522 development of alternative porcelains. Developers of such porcelains
523 might start by reading about linkgit:git-update-index[1] and
524 linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
526 The interface (input, output, set of options and the semantics)
527 to these low-level commands are meant to be a lot more stable
528 than Porcelain level commands, because these commands are
529 primarily for scripted use. The interface to Porcelain commands
530 on the other hand are subject to change in order to improve the
533 The following description divides
534 the low-level commands into commands that manipulate objects (in
535 the repository, index, and working tree), commands that interrogate and
536 compare objects, and commands that move objects and references between
540 Manipulation commands
541 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
543 include::cmds-plumbingmanipulators.txt[]
546 Interrogation commands
547 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
549 include::cmds-plumbinginterrogators.txt[]
551 In general, the interrogate commands do not touch the files in
555 Synching repositories
556 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
558 include::cmds-synchingrepositories.txt[]
560 The following are helper commands used by the above; end users
561 typically do not use them directly.
563 include::cmds-synchelpers.txt[]
566 Internal helper commands
567 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
569 These are internal helper commands used by other commands; end
570 users typically do not use them directly.
572 include::cmds-purehelpers.txt[]
575 Configuration Mechanism
576 -----------------------
578 Git uses a simple text format to store customizations that are per
579 repository and are per user. Such a configuration file may look
584 # A '#' or ';' character indicates a comment.
589 ; Don't trust file modes
594 name = "Junio C Hamano"
595 email = "gitster@pobox.com"
599 Various commands read from the configuration file and adjust
600 their operation accordingly. See linkgit:git-config[1] for a
601 list and more details about the configuration mechanism.
604 Identifier Terminology
605 ----------------------
607 Indicates the object name for any type of object.
610 Indicates a blob object name.
613 Indicates a tree object name.
616 Indicates a commit object name.
619 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object name. A
620 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
621 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
622 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
625 Indicates a commit or tag object name. A
626 command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately wants to
627 operate on a <commit> object but automatically dereferences
628 <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.
631 Indicates that an object type is required.
632 Currently one of: `blob`, `tree`, `commit`, or `tag`.
635 Indicates a filename - almost always relative to the
636 root of the tree structure `GIT_INDEX_FILE` describes.
640 Any Git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
644 indicates the head of the current branch.
648 (i.e. a `refs/tags/<tag>` reference).
652 (i.e. a `refs/heads/<head>` reference).
654 For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
655 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
658 File/Directory Structure
659 ------------------------
661 Please see the linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] document.
663 Read linkgit:githooks[5] for more details about each hook.
665 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
671 Please see linkgit:gitglossary[7].
674 Environment Variables
675 ---------------------
676 Various Git commands use the following environment variables:
680 These environment variables apply to 'all' core Git commands. Nb: it
681 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
682 Git so take care if using Cogito etc.
685 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
686 index file. If not specified, the default of `$GIT_DIR/index`
689 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
690 If the object storage directory is specified via this
691 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
692 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
695 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
696 Due to the immutable nature of Git objects, old objects can be
697 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
698 specifies a ":" separated (on Windows ";" separated) list
699 of Git object directories which can be used to search for Git
700 objects. New objects will not be written to these directories.
703 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it
704 specifies a path to use instead of the default `.git`
705 for the base of the repository.
706 The '--git-dir' command-line option also sets this value.
709 Set the path to the root of the working tree.
710 This can also be controlled by the '--work-tree' command line
711 option and the core.worktree configuration variable.
714 Set the Git namespace; see linkgit:gitnamespaces[7] for details.
715 The '--namespace' command-line option also sets this value.
717 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES'::
718 This should be a colon-separated list of absolute paths. If
719 set, it is a list of directories that Git should not chdir up
720 into while looking for a repository directory (useful for
721 excluding slow-loading network directories). It will not
722 exclude the current working directory or a GIT_DIR set on the
723 command line or in the environment. Normally, Git has to read
724 the entries in this list and resolve any symlink that
725 might be present in order to compare them with the current
726 directory. However, if even this access is slow, you
727 can add an empty entry to the list to tell Git that the
728 subsequent entries are not symlinks and needn't be resolved;
730 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES=/maybe/symlink::/very/slow/non/symlink'.
732 'GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM'::
733 When run in a directory that does not have ".git" repository
734 directory, Git tries to find such a directory in the parent
735 directories to find the top of the working tree, but by default it
736 does not cross filesystem boundaries. This environment variable
737 can be set to true to tell Git not to stop at filesystem
738 boundaries. Like 'GIT_CEILING_DIRECTORIES', this will not affect
739 an explicit repository directory set via 'GIT_DIR' or on the
747 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
748 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
749 'GIT_COMMITTER_DATE'::
751 see linkgit:git-commit-tree[1]
756 Only valid setting is "--unified=??" or "-u??" to set the
757 number of context lines shown when a unified diff is created.
758 This takes precedence over any "-U" or "--unified" option
759 value passed on the Git diff command line.
761 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
762 When the environment variable 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is set, the
763 program named by it is called, instead of the diff invocation
764 described above. For a path that is added, removed, or modified,
765 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 7 parameters:
767 path old-file old-hex old-mode new-file new-hex new-mode
771 <old|new>-file:: are files GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF can use to read the
772 contents of <old|new>,
773 <old|new>-hex:: are the 40-hexdigit SHA-1 hashes,
774 <old|new>-mode:: are the octal representation of the file modes.
776 The file parameters can point at the user's working file
777 (e.g. `new-file` in "git-diff-files"), `/dev/null` (e.g. `old-file`
778 when a new file is added), or a temporary file (e.g. `old-file` in the
779 index). 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' should not worry about unlinking the
780 temporary file --- it is removed when 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' exits.
782 For a path that is unmerged, 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF' is called with 1
787 'GIT_MERGE_VERBOSITY'::
788 A number controlling the amount of output shown by
789 the recursive merge strategy. Overrides merge.verbosity.
790 See linkgit:git-merge[1]
793 This environment variable overrides `$PAGER`. If it is set
794 to an empty string or to the value "cat", Git will not launch
795 a pager. See also the `core.pager` option in
796 linkgit:git-config[1].
799 This environment variable overrides `$EDITOR` and `$VISUAL`.
800 It is used by several Git commands when, on interactive mode,
801 an editor is to be launched. See also linkgit:git-var[1]
802 and the `core.editor` option in linkgit:git-config[1].
805 If this environment variable is set then 'git fetch'
806 and 'git push' will use this command instead
807 of 'ssh' when they need to connect to a remote system.
808 The '$GIT_SSH' command will be given exactly two or
809 four arguments: the 'username@host' (or just 'host')
810 from the URL and the shell command to execute on that
811 remote system, optionally preceded by '-p' (literally) and
812 the 'port' from the URL when it specifies something other
813 than the default SSH port.
815 To pass options to the program that you want to list in GIT_SSH
816 you will need to wrap the program and options into a shell script,
817 then set GIT_SSH to refer to the shell script.
819 Usually it is easier to configure any desired options through your
820 personal `.ssh/config` file. Please consult your ssh documentation
824 If this environment variable is set, then Git commands which need to
825 acquire passwords or passphrases (e.g. for HTTP or IMAP authentication)
826 will call this program with a suitable prompt as command line argument
827 and read the password from its STDOUT. See also the 'core.askpass'
828 option in linkgit:git-config[1].
830 'GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM'::
831 Whether to skip reading settings from the system-wide
832 `$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig` file. This environment variable can
833 be used along with `$HOME` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` to create a
834 predictable environment for a picky script, or you can set it
835 temporarily to avoid using a buggy `/etc/gitconfig` file while
836 waiting for someone with sufficient permissions to fix it.
839 If this environment variable is set to "1", then commands such
840 as 'git blame' (in incremental mode), 'git rev-list', 'git log',
841 'git check-attr' and 'git check-ignore' will
842 force a flush of the output stream after each record have been
844 variable is set to "0", the output of these commands will be done
845 using completely buffered I/O. If this environment variable is
846 not set, Git will choose buffered or record-oriented flushing
847 based on whether stdout appears to be redirected to a file or not.
850 If this variable is set to "1", "2" or "true" (comparison
851 is case insensitive), Git will print `trace:` messages on
852 stderr telling about alias expansion, built-in command
853 execution and external command execution.
854 If this variable is set to an integer value greater than 1
855 and lower than 10 (strictly) then Git will interpret this
856 value as an open file descriptor and will try to write the
857 trace messages into this file descriptor.
858 Alternatively, if this variable is set to an absolute path
859 (starting with a '/' character), Git will interpret this
860 as a file path and will try to write the trace messages
863 'GIT_TRACE_PACK_ACCESS'::
864 If this variable is set to a path, a file will be created at
865 the given path logging all accesses to any packs. For each
866 access, the pack file name and an offset in the pack is
867 recorded. This may be helpful for troubleshooting some
868 pack-related performance problems.
871 If this variable is set, it shows a trace of all packets
872 coming in or out of a given program. This can help with
873 debugging object negotiation or other protocol issues. Tracing
874 is turned off at a packet starting with "PACK".
876 GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS::
877 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
878 pathspecs literally, rather than as glob patterns. For example,
879 running `GIT_LITERAL_PATHSPECS=1 git log -- '*.c'` will search
880 for commits that touch the path `*.c`, not any paths that the
881 glob `*.c` matches. You might want this if you are feeding
882 literal paths to Git (e.g., paths previously given to you by
883 `git ls-tree`, `--raw` diff output, etc).
886 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
887 pathspecs as glob patterns (aka "glob" magic).
889 GIT_NOGLOB_PATHSPECS::
890 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
891 pathspecs as literal (aka "literal" magic).
893 GIT_ICASE_PATHSPECS::
894 Setting this variable to `1` will cause Git to treat all
895 pathspecs as case-insensitive.
898 Discussion[[Discussion]]
899 ------------------------
901 More detail on the following is available from the
902 link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
903 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7].
905 A Git project normally consists of a working directory with a ".git"
906 subdirectory at the top level. The .git directory contains, among other
907 things, a compressed object database representing the complete history
908 of the project, an "index" file which links that history to the current
909 contents of the working tree, and named pointers into that history such
910 as tags and branch heads.
912 The object database contains objects of three main types: blobs, which
913 hold file data; trees, which point to blobs and other trees to build up
914 directory hierarchies; and commits, which each reference a single tree
915 and some number of parent commits.
917 The commit, equivalent to what other systems call a "changeset" or
918 "version", represents a step in the project's history, and each parent
919 represents an immediately preceding step. Commits with more than one
920 parent represent merges of independent lines of development.
922 All objects are named by the SHA-1 hash of their contents, normally
923 written as a string of 40 hex digits. Such names are globally unique.
924 The entire history leading up to a commit can be vouched for by signing
925 just that commit. A fourth object type, the tag, is provided for this
928 When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
929 efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
931 Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history. A ref
932 may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref. Refs
933 with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
934 recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development. SHA-1 names of
935 tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`. A special ref named
936 `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.
938 The index file is initialized with a list of all paths and, for each
939 path, a blob object and a set of attributes. The blob object represents
940 the contents of the file as of the head of the current branch. The
941 attributes (last modified time, size, etc.) are taken from the
942 corresponding file in the working tree. Subsequent changes to the
943 working tree can be found by comparing these attributes. The index may
944 be updated with new content, and new commits may be created from the
945 content stored in the index.
947 The index is also capable of storing multiple entries (called "stages")
948 for a given pathname. These stages are used to hold the various
949 unmerged version of a file when a merge is in progress.
951 FURTHER DOCUMENTATION
952 ---------------------
954 See the references in the "description" section to get started
955 using Git. The following is probably more detail than necessary
956 for a first-time user.
958 The link:user-manual.html#git-concepts[Git concepts chapter of the
959 user-manual] and linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7] both provide
960 introductions to the underlying Git architecture.
962 See linkgit:gitworkflows[7] for an overview of recommended workflows.
964 See also the link:howto-index.html[howto] documents for some useful
967 The internals are documented in the
968 link:technical/api-index.html[Git API documentation].
970 Users migrating from CVS may also want to
971 read linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7].
976 Git was started by Linus Torvalds, and is currently maintained by Junio
977 C Hamano. Numerous contributions have come from the Git mailing list
978 <git@vger.kernel.org>. http://www.ohloh.net/p/git/contributors/summary
979 gives you a more complete list of contributors.
981 If you have a clone of git.git itself, the
982 output of linkgit:git-shortlog[1] and linkgit:git-blame[1] can show you
983 the authors for specific parts of the project.
988 Report bugs to the Git mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org> where the
989 development and maintenance is primarily done. You do not have to be
990 subscribed to the list to send a message there.
994 linkgit:gittutorial[7], linkgit:gittutorial-2[7],
995 link:everyday.html[Everyday Git], linkgit:gitcvs-migration[7],
996 linkgit:gitglossary[7], linkgit:gitcore-tutorial[7],
997 linkgit:gitcli[7], link:user-manual.html[The Git User's Manual],
998 linkgit:gitworkflows[7]
1002 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite