git-cat-file - Provide content or type information for repository objects
git-cat-file (-t | -s | -e | <type>) <object>
Provides content or type of objects in the repository. The type is required unless -t is used to find the object type, or -s is used to find the object size.
The sha1 identifier of the object.
Instead of the content, show the object type identified by <object>.
Instead of the content, show the object size identified by <object>.
Suppress all output; instead exit with zero status if <object> exists and is a valid object.
Typically this matches the real type of <object> but asking for a type that can trivially be dereferenced from the given <object> is also permitted. An example is to ask for a "tree" with <object> being a commit object that contains it, or to ask for a "blob" with <object> being a tag object that points at it.
If -t is specified, one of the <type>.
If -s is specified, the size of the <object> in bytes.
If -e is specified, no output.
Otherwise the raw (though uncompressed) contents of the <object> will be returned.
Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
Part of the git(7) suite