1 Everyday GIT With 20 Commands Or So
2 ===================================
4 GIT suite has over 100 commands, and the manual page for each of
5 them discusses what the command does and how it is used in
6 detail, but until you know what command should be used in order
7 to achieve what you want to do, you cannot tell which manual
8 page to look at, and if you know that already you do not need
11 Does that mean you need to know all of them before you can use
12 git? Not at all. Depending on the role you play, the set of
13 commands you need to know is slightly different, but in any case
14 what you need to learn is far smaller than the full set of
15 commands to carry out your day-to-day work. This document is to
16 serve as a cheat-sheet and a set of pointers for people playing
19 <<Basic Repository>> commands are needed by people who has a
20 repository --- that is everybody, because every working tree of
23 In addition, <<Individual Developer (Standalone)>> commands are
24 essential for anybody who makes a commit, even for somebody who
27 If you work with other people, you will need commands listed in
28 <<Individual Developer (Participant)>> section as well.
30 People who play <<Integrator>> role need to learn some more
31 commands in addition to the above.
33 <<Repository Administration>> commands are for system
34 administrators who are responsible to care and feed git
35 repositories to support developers.
38 Basic Repository[[Basic Repository]]
39 ------------------------------------
41 Everybody uses these commands to feed and care git repositories.
43 * gitlink:git-init-db[1] or gitlink:git-clone[1] to create a
46 * gitlink:git-fsck-objects[1] to validate the repository.
48 * gitlink:git-prune[1] to garbage collect crufts in the
51 * gitlink:git-repack[1] to pack loose objects for efficiency.
53 Individual Developer (Standalone)[[Individual Developer (Standalone)]]
54 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
56 A standalone individual developer does not exchange patches with
57 other poeple, and works alone in a single repository, using the
60 * gitlink:git-show-branch[1] to see where you are.
62 * gitlink:git-log[1] to see what happened.
64 * gitlink:git-whatchanged[1] to find out where things have
67 * gitlink:git-checkout[1] and gitlink:git-branch[1] to switch
70 * gitlink:git-add[1] and gitlink:git-update-index[1] to manage
73 * gitlink:git-diff[1] and gitlink:git-status[1] to see what
74 you are in the middle of doing.
76 * gitlink:git-commit[1] to advance the current branch.
78 * gitlink:git-reset[1] and gitlink:git-checkout[1] (with
79 pathname parameters) to undo changes.
81 * gitlink:git-pull[1] with "." as the remote to merge between
84 * gitlink:git-rebase[1] to maintain topic branches.
86 * gitlink:git-tag[1] to mark known point.
91 * Extract a tarball and create a working tree and a new repository to keep track of it.
93 $ tar zxf frotz.tar.gz
97 $ git commit -m 'import of frotz source tree.'
100 <1> add everything under the current directory.
101 <2> make a lightweight, unannotated tag.
104 * Create a topic branch and develop
106 $ git checkout -b alsa-audio <1>
108 $ git checkout -- curses/ux_audio_oss.c <2>
109 $ git add curses/ux_audio_alsa.c <3>
112 $ git commit -a -s <5>
114 $ git reset --soft HEAD^ <6>
116 $ git diff ORIG_HEAD <7>
117 $ git commit -a -c ORIG_HEAD <8>
118 $ git checkout master <9>
119 $ git pull . alsa-audio <10>
120 $ git log --since='3 days ago' <11>
121 $ git log v2.43.. curses/ <12>
123 <1> create a new topic branch.
124 <2> revert your botched changes in "curses/ux_audio_oss.c".
125 <3> you need to tell git if you added a new file; removal and
126 modification will be caught if you do "commit -a" later.
127 <4> to see what changes you are committing.
128 <5> commit everything as you have tested, with your sign-off.
129 <6> take the last commit back, keeping what is in the working tree.
130 <7> look at the changes since the premature commit we took back.
131 <8> redo the commit undone in the previous step, using the message
132 you originally wrote.
133 <9> switch to the master branch.
134 <10> merge a topic branch into your master branch
135 <11> or --since='aug 1', --max-count=10
136 <12> view only the changes that touch what's in curses/
137 directory, since v2.43 tag.
141 Individual Developer (Participant)[[Individual Developer (Participant)]]
142 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
144 A developer working as a participant in a group project needs to
145 learn how to communicate with others, and uses these commands in
146 addition to the ones needed by a standalone developer.
148 * gitlink:git-pull[1] from "origin" to keep up-to-date with
151 * gitlink:git-push[1] to shared repository if you adopt CVS
152 style shared repository workflow.
154 * gitlink:git-format-patch[1] to prepare e-mail submission, if
155 you adopt Linux kernel-style public forum workflow.
161 * Clone the upstream and work on it. Feed changes to upstream.
163 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../torvalds/linux-2.6 my2.6
165 $ edit/compile/test; git commit -a -s <1>
166 $ git format-patch master <2>
168 $ git whatchanged -p ORIG_HEAD.. arch/i386 include/asm-i386 <4>
169 $ git pull git://git.kernel.org/pub/.../jgarzik/libata-dev.git ALL <5>
170 $ git reset --hard ORIG_HEAD <6>
173 <1> repeat as needed.
174 <2> extract patches from your branch for e-mail submission.
175 <3> "pull" fetches from "origin" by default and merges.
176 <4> look at the changes since last time we checked, only in the
177 area we are interested in.
178 <5> fetch from a specific branch from a specific repository and and merge.
180 <7> garbage collect leftover objects from reverted pull.
183 * Branch off of a specific tag.
185 $ git checkout -b private2.6.14 v2.6.14 <1>
186 $ edit/compile/test; git commit -a
187 $ git checkout master
188 $ git format-patch -k -m --stdout v2.6.14..private2.6.14 |
191 <1> create a private branch based on a well known (but somewhat behind)
193 <2> forward port all changes in private2.6.14 branch to master branch
194 without a formal "merging".
198 Integrator[[Integrator]]
199 ------------------------
201 A fairly central person acting as the integrator in a group
202 project receives changes made by others, reviews and integrates
203 them and publishes the result for others to use, using these
204 commands in addition to the ones needed by participants.
206 * gitlink:git-am[1] to apply patches e-mailed in from your
209 * gitlink:git-pull[1] to merge from your trusted lieutenants.
211 * gitlink:git-format-patch[1] to prepare and send suggested
212 alternative to contributors.
214 * gitlink:git-revert[1] to undo botched commits.
216 * gitlink:git-push[1] to publish the bleeding edge.
222 * My typical GIT day.
225 $ git show-branch <2>
227 & s 2 3 4 5 ./+to-apply
228 & s 7 8 ./+hold-linus
230 $ git checkout master
231 $ git am -3 -i -s -u ./+to-apply <4>
233 $ git checkout -b hold/linus && git am -3 -i -s -u ./+hold-linus <5>
234 $ git checkout pu && git reset --hard master <6>
235 $ git pull . topic/one topic/two && git pull . hold/linus <7>
236 $ git fetch ko master:refs/tags/ko-master &&
237 git show-branch master ko-master <8>
240 $ git cherry-pick master~4 <10>
242 $ git tag -s -m 'GIT 0.99.9x' v0.99.9x <11>
243 $ git push ko v0.99.9x <12>
245 <1> see what I was in the middle of doing, if any.
246 <2> see what topic branches I have and think about how ready
248 <3> read mails, save ones that are applicable, and save others
249 that are not quite ready.
250 <4> apply them, interactively, with my sign-offs.
251 <5> create topic branch as needed and apply, again with my
253 <6> restart "pu" every time from the master.
254 <7> and bundle topic branches still cooking.
255 <8> make sure I did not accidentally rewound master beyond what I
257 <9> push out the bleeding edge.
258 <10> backport a critical fix.
259 <11> create a signed tag.
260 <12> push the tag out.
264 Repository Administration[[Repository Administration]]
265 ------------------------------------------------------
267 A repository administrator uses the following tools to set up
268 and maintain access to the repository by developers.
270 * gitlink:git-daemon[1] to allow anonymous download from
273 * gitlink:git-shell[1] can be used as a 'restricted login shell'
274 for shared central repository users.
276 * link:howto/update-hook-example.txt[update hook howto] has a
277 good example of managing a shared central repository.