6 git - the stupid content tracker
11 'git-<command>' <args>
16 This is reference information for the core git commands.
18 Before reading this cover to cover, you may want to take a look
19 at the link:tutorial.html[tutorial] document.
21 The <<Discussion>> section below contains much useful definition and
22 clarification info - read that first. And of the commands, I suggest
23 reading gitlink:git-update-index[1] and
24 gitlink:git-read-tree[1] first - I wish I had!
26 If you are migrating from CVS, link:cvs-migration.html[cvs migration]
27 document may be helpful after you finish the tutorial.
29 After you get the general feel from the tutorial and this
30 overview page, you may want to take a look at the
31 link:howto-index.html[howto] documents.
34 David Greaves <david@dgreaves.com>
37 Updated by Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net> on 2005-05-05 to
38 reflect recent changes.
42 The git commands can helpfully be split into those that manipulate
43 the repository, the cache and the working fileset, those that
44 interrogate and compare them, and those that moves objects and
45 references between repositories.
47 In addition, git itself comes with a spartan set of porcelain
48 commands. They are usable but are not meant to compete with real
51 There are also some ancillary programs that can be viewed as useful
52 aids for using the core commands but which are unlikely to be used by
53 SCMs layered over git.
57 gitlink:git-apply[1]::
58 Reads a "diff -up1" or git generated patch file and
59 applies it to the working tree.
61 gitlink:git-checkout-index[1]::
62 Copy files from the cache to the working directory
63 Previously this command was known as git-checkout-cache.
65 gitlink:git-commit-tree[1]::
66 Creates a new commit object
68 gitlink:git-hash-object[1]::
69 Computes the object ID from a file.
71 gitlink:git-index-pack.html[1]::
72 Build pack index file for an existing packed archive.
74 gitlink:git-init-db[1]::
75 Creates an empty git object database
77 gitlink:git-merge-index[1]::
78 Runs a merge for files needing merging
79 Previously this command was known as git-merge-cache.
81 gitlink:git-mktag[1]::
84 gitlink:git-pack-objects[1]::
85 Creates a packed archive of objects.
87 gitlink:git-prune-packed[1]::
88 Remove extra objects that are already in pack files.
90 gitlink:git-read-tree[1]::
91 Reads tree information into the directory cache
93 gitlink:git-unpack-objects[1]::
94 Unpacks objects out of a packed archive.
96 gitlink:git-update-index[1]::
97 Modifies the index or directory cache
98 Previously this command was known as git-update-cache.
100 gitlink:git-write-tree[1]::
101 Creates a tree from the current cache
104 Interrogation commands
105 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
107 gitlink:git-cat-file[1]::
108 Provide content or type information for repository objects
110 gitlink:git-diff-index[1]::
111 Compares content and mode of blobs between the cache and repository
112 Previously this command was known as git-diff-cache.
114 gitlink:git-diff-files[1]::
115 Compares files in the working tree and the cache
117 gitlink:git-diff-stages[1]::
118 Compares two "merge stages" in the index file.
120 gitlink:git-diff-tree[1]::
121 Compares the content and mode of blobs found via two tree objects
123 gitlink:git-fsck-objects[1]::
124 Verifies the connectivity and validity of the objects in the database
125 Previously this command was known as git-fsck-cache.
127 gitlink:git-ls-files[1]::
128 Information about files in the cache/working directory
130 gitlink:git-ls-tree[1]::
131 Displays a tree object in human readable form
133 gitlink:git-merge-base[1]::
134 Finds as good a common ancestor as possible for a merge
136 gitlink:git-name-rev[1]::
137 Find symbolic names for given revs
139 gitlink:git-rev-list[1]::
140 Lists commit objects in reverse chronological order
142 gitlink:git-show-index[1]::
143 Displays contents of a pack idx file.
145 gitlink:git-tar-tree[1]::
146 Creates a tar archive of the files in the named tree
148 gitlink:git-unpack-file[1]::
149 Creates a temporary file with a blob's contents
152 Displays a git logical variable
154 gitlink:git-verify-pack[1]::
155 Validates packed git archive files
157 The interrogate commands may create files - and you can force them to
158 touch the working file set - but in general they don't
161 Synching repositories
162 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
164 gitlink:git-clone-pack[1]::
165 Clones a repository into the current repository (engine
166 for ssh and local transport)
168 gitlink:git-fetch-pack[1]::
169 Updates from a remote repository.
171 gitlink:git-http-fetch[1]::
172 Downloads a remote git repository via HTTP
173 Previously this command was known as git-http-pull.
175 gitlink:git-local-fetch[1]::
176 Duplicates another git repository on a local system
177 Previously this command was known as git-local-pull.
179 gitlink:git-peek-remote[1]::
180 Lists references on a remote repository using upload-pack protocol.
182 gitlink:git-receive-pack[1]::
183 Invoked by 'git-send-pack' to receive what is pushed to it.
185 gitlink:git-send-pack[1]::
186 Pushes to a remote repository, intelligently.
188 gitlink:git-shell[1]::
189 Restricted shell for GIT-only SSH access.
191 gitlink:git-ssh-fetch[1]::
192 Pulls from a remote repository over ssh connection
193 Previously this command was known as git-ssh-pull.
195 gitlink:git-ssh-upload[1]::
196 Helper "server-side" program used by git-ssh-fetch
197 Previously this command was known as git-ssh-push.
199 gitlink:git-update-server-info[1]::
200 Updates auxiliary information on a dumb server to help
201 clients discover references and packs on it.
203 gitlink:git-upload-pack[1]::
204 Invoked by 'git-clone-pack' and 'git-fetch-pack' to push
208 Porcelain-ish Commands
209 ----------------------
212 Add paths to the index file.
213 Previously this command was known as git-add-script.
216 Apply patches from a mailbox, but cooler.
218 gitlink:git-applymbox[1]::
219 Apply patches from a mailbox.
221 gitlink:git-bisect[1]::
222 Find the change that introduced a bug.
223 Previously this command was known as git-bisect-script.
225 gitlink:git-branch[1]::
226 Create and Show branches.
227 Previously this command was known as git-branch-script.
229 gitlink:git-checkout[1]::
230 Checkout and switch to a branch.
231 Previously this command was known as git-checkout-script.
233 gitlink:git-cherry-pick[1]::
234 Cherry-pick the effect of an existing commit.
235 Previously this command was known as git-cherry-pick-script.
237 gitlink:git-clone[1]::
238 Clones a repository into a new directory.
239 Previously this command was known as git-clone-script.
241 gitlink:git-commit[1]::
242 Record changes to the repository.
243 Previously this command was known as git-commit-script.
245 gitlink:git-diff[1]::
246 Show changes between commits, commit and working tree, etc.
247 Previously this command was known as git-diff-script.
249 gitlink:git-fetch[1]::
250 Download from a remote repository via various protocols.
251 Previously this command was known as git-fetch-script.
253 gitlink:git-format-patch[1]::
254 Prepare patches for e-mail submission.
255 Previously this command was known as git-format-patch-script.
257 gitlink:git-grep[1]::
258 Print lines matching a pattern
262 Previously this command was known as git-log-script.
264 gitlink:git-ls-remote[1]::
265 Shows references in a remote or local repository.
266 Previously this command was known as git-ls-remote-script.
268 gitlink:git-merge[1]::
269 Grand unified merge driver.
272 Move or rename a file, a directory, or a symlink.
274 gitlink:git-octopus[1]::
275 Merge more than two commits.
276 Previously this command was known as git-octopus-script.
278 gitlink:git-pull[1]::
279 Fetch from and merge with a remote repository.
280 Previously this command was known as git-pull-script.
282 gitlink:git-push[1]::
283 Update remote refs along with associated objects.
284 Previously this command was known as git-push-script.
286 gitlink:git-rebase[1]::
287 Rebase local commits to new upstream head.
288 Previously this command was known as git-rebase-script.
290 gitlink:git-rename[1]::
291 Rename files and directories.
292 Previously this command was known as git-rename-script.
294 gitlink:git-repack[1]::
295 Pack unpacked objects in a repository.
296 Previously this command was known as git-repack-script.
298 gitlink:git-reset[1]::
299 Reset current HEAD to the specified state.
300 Previously this command was known as git-reset-script.
302 gitlink:git-resolve[1]::
304 Previously this command was known as git-resolve-script.
306 gitlink:git-revert[1]::
307 Revert an existing commit.
308 Previously this command was known as git-revert-script.
310 gitlink:git-shortlog[1]::
311 Summarizes 'git log' output.
313 gitlink:git-show-branch[1]::
314 Show branches and their commits.
316 gitlink:git-status[1]::
317 Shows the working tree status.
318 Previously this command was known as git-status-script.
320 gitlink:git-verify-tag[1]::
321 Check the GPG signature of tag.
322 Previously this command was known as git-verify-tag-script.
324 gitlink:git-whatchanged[1]::
325 Shows commit logs and differences they introduce.
332 gitlink:git-applypatch[1]::
333 Apply one patch extracted from an e-mail.
335 gitlink:git-archimport[1]::
336 Import an arch repository into git.
337 Previously this command was known as git-archimport-script.
339 gitlink:git-convert-objects[1]::
340 Converts old-style git repository
341 Previously this command was known as git-convert-cache.
343 gitlink:git-cvsimport[1]::
344 Salvage your data out of another SCM people love to hate.
345 Previously this command was known as git-cvsimport-script.
347 gitlink:git-merge-one-file[1]::
348 The standard helper program to use with "git-merge-index"
349 Previously this command was known as git-merge-one-file-script.
351 gitlink:git-prune[1]::
352 Prunes all unreachable objects from the object database
353 Previously this command was known as git-prune-script.
355 gitlink:git-relink[1]::
356 Hardlink common objects in local repositories.
357 Previously this command was known as git-relink-script.
359 gitlink:git-svnimport[1]::
360 Import a SVN repository into git.
362 gitlink:git-sh-setup[1]::
363 Common git shell script setup code.
364 Previously this command was known as git-sh-setup-script.
366 gitlink:git-symbolic-ref[1]::
367 Read and modify symbolic refs
370 An example script to create a tag object signed with GPG
371 Previously this command was known as git-tag-script.
373 gitlink:git-update-ref[1]::
374 Update the object name stored in a ref safely.
379 gitlink:git-check-ref-format[1]::
380 Make sure ref name is well formed.
382 gitlink:git-cherry[1]::
383 Find commits not merged upstream.
385 gitlink:git-count-objects[1]::
386 Count unpacked number of objects and their disk consumption.
387 Previously this command was known as git-count-objects-script.
389 gitlink:git-daemon[1]::
390 A really simple server for git repositories.
392 gitlink:git-get-tar-commit-id[1]::
393 Extract commit ID from an archive created using git-tar-tree.
395 gitlink:git-mailinfo[1]::
396 Extracts patch from a single e-mail message.
398 gitlink:git-mailsplit[1]::
401 gitlink:git-patch-id[1]::
402 Compute unique ID for a patch.
404 gitlink:git-parse-remote[1]::
405 Routines to help parsing $GIT_DIR/remotes/
406 Previously this command was known as git-parse-remote-script.
408 gitlink:git-request-pull[1]::
410 Previously this command was known as git-request-pull-script.
412 gitlink:git-rev-parse[1]::
413 Pick out and massage parameters.
415 gitlink:git-send-email[1]::
416 Send patch e-mails out of "format-patch --mbox" output.
417 Previously this command was known as git-send-email-script.
419 gitlink:git-symbolic-refs[1]::
420 Read and modify symbolic refs.
422 gitlink:git-stripspace[1]::
423 Filter out empty lines.
426 Commands not yet documented
427 ---------------------------
433 Identifier Terminology
434 ----------------------
436 Indicates the sha1 identifier for any type of object
439 Indicates a blob object sha1 identifier
442 Indicates a tree object sha1 identifier
445 Indicates a commit object sha1 identifier
448 Indicates a tree, commit or tag object sha1 identifier. A
449 command that takes a <tree-ish> argument ultimately wants to
450 operate on a <tree> object but automatically dereferences
451 <commit> and <tag> objects that point at a <tree>.
454 Indicates that an object type is required.
455 Currently one of: blob/tree/commit/tag
458 Indicates a filename - always relative to the root of
459 the tree structure GIT_INDEX_FILE describes.
463 Any git command accepting any <object> can also use the following
467 indicates the head of the repository (ie the contents of
471 (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/<tag>`)
474 (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/<head>`)
476 a valid snapshot 'name'+
477 (ie the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/snap/<snap>`)
480 File/Directory Structure
481 ------------------------
483 Please see link:repository-layout.html[repository layout] document.
485 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
491 Please see link:glossary.html[glossary] document.
494 Environment Variables
495 ---------------------
496 Various git commands use the following environment variables:
500 These environment variables apply to 'all' core git commands. Nb: it
501 is worth noting that they may be used/overridden by SCMS sitting above
502 git so take care if using Cogito etc
505 This environment allows the specification of an alternate
506 cache/index file. If not specified, the default of
507 `$GIT_DIR/index` is used.
509 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'::
510 If the object storage directory is specified via this
511 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created
512 underneath - otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects`
515 'GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES'::
516 Due to the immutable nature of git objects, old objects can be
517 archived into shared, read-only directories. This variable
518 specifies a ":" separated list of git object directories which
519 can be used to search for git objects. New objects will not be
520 written to these directories.
523 If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it specifies
524 a path to use instead of `./.git` for the base of the
532 'GIT_COMMITTER_NAME'::
533 'GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL'::
534 see gitlink:git-commit-tree[1]
539 'GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF'::
540 see the "generating patches" section in :
541 gitlink:git-diff-index[1];
542 gitlink:git-diff-files[1];
543 gitlink:git-diff-tree[1]
545 Discussion[[Discussion]]
546 ------------------------
551 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
555 Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
559 Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite