1GITEVERYDAY(7) Git Manual GITEVERYDAY(7)
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6 giteveryday - A useful minimum set of commands for Everyday Git
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9 Everyday Git With 20 Commands Or So
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12 Git users can broadly be grouped into four categories for the purposes
13 of describing here a small set of useful command for everyday Git.
14 · Individual Developer (Standalone) commands are essential for
16 anybody who makes a commit, even for somebody who works alone.
17 · If you work with other people, you will need commands listed in the
19 Individual Developer (Participant) section as well.
20 · People who play the Integrator role need to learn some more
22 commands in addition to the above.
23 · Repository Administration commands are for system administrators
25 who are responsible for the care and feeding of Git repositories.
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28 A standalone individual developer does not exchange patches with other
29 people, and works alone in a single repository, using the following
30 commands.
31 · git-init(1) to create a new repository.
33 · git-log(1) to see what happened.
35 · git-switch(1) and git-branch(1) to switch branches.
37 · git-add(1) to manage the index file.
39 · git-diff(1) and git-status(1) to see what you are in the middle of
41 doing.
42 · git-commit(1) to advance the current branch.
44 · git-restore(1) to undo changes.
46 · git-merge(1) to merge between local branches.
48 · git-rebase(1) to maintain topic branches.
50 · git-tag(1) to mark a known point.
52 Examples
54 Use a tarball as a starting point for a new repository.
55 $ tar zxf frotz.tar.gz
57 $ cd frotz
58 $ git init
59 $ git add . [1m(1)
60 $ git commit -m "import of frotz source tree."
61 $ git tag v2.43 [1m(2)
62 1. add everything under the current directory.
64 2. make a lightweight, unannotated tag.
65 Create a topic branch and develop.
67 $ git switch -c alsa-audio [1m(1)
69 $ edit/compile/test
70 $ git restore curses/ux_audio_oss.c [1m(2)
71 $ git add curses/ux_audio_alsa.c [1m(3)
72 $ edit/compile/test
73 $ git diff HEAD [1m(4)
74 $ git commit -a -s [1m(5)
75 $ edit/compile/test
76 $ git diff HEAD^ [1m(6)
77 $ git commit -a --amend [1m(7)
78 $ git switch master [1m(8)
79 $ git merge alsa-audio [1m(9)
80 $ git log --since='3 days ago' [1m(10)
81 $ git log v2.43.. curses/ [1m(11)
82 1. create a new topic branch.
84 2. revert your botched changes in curses/ux_audio_oss.c.
85 3. you need to tell Git if you added a new file; removal and
86 modification will be caught if you do git commit -a later.
87 4. to see what changes you are committing.
88 5. commit everything, as you have tested, with your sign-off.
89 6. look at all your changes including the previous commit.
90 7. amend the previous commit, adding all your new changes, using
91 your original message.
92 8. switch to the master branch.
93 9. merge a topic branch into your master branch.
94 10. review commit logs; other forms to limit output can be combined
95 and include -10 (to show up to 10 commits), --until=2005-12-10,
96 etc.
97 11. view only the changes that touch what’s in curses/ directory,
98 since v2.43 tag.
99
101 A developer working as a participant in a group project needs to learn
102 how to communicate with others, and uses these commands in addition to
103 the ones needed by a standalone developer.
104 · git-clone(1) from the upstream to prime your local repository.
106 · git-pull(1) and git-fetch(1) from "origin" to keep up-to-date with
108 the upstream.
109 · git-push(1) to shared repository, if you adopt CVS style shared
111 repository workflow.
112 · git-format-patch(1) to prepare e-mail submission, if you adopt
114 Linux kernel-style public forum workflow.
115 · git-send-email(1) to send your e-mail submission without corruption
117 by your MUA.
118 · git-request-pull(1) to create a summary of changes for your
120 upstream to pull.
121 Examples
123 Clone the upstream and work on it. Feed changes to upstream.
124 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../torvalds/linux-2.6 my2.6
126 $ cd my2.6
127 $ git switch -c mine master [1m(1)
128 $ edit/compile/test; git commit -a -s [1m(2)
129 $ git format-patch master [1m(3)
130 $ git send-email --to="person <email@example.com>" 00*.patch [1m(4)
131 $ git switch master [1m(5)
132 $ git pull [1m(6)
133 $ git log -p ORIG_HEAD.. arch/i386 include/asm-i386 [1m(7)
134 $ git ls-remote --heads http://git.kernel.org/.../jgarzik/libata-dev.git [1m(8)
135 $ git pull git://git.kernel.org/pub/.../jgarzik/libata-dev.git ALL [1m(9)
136 $ git reset --hard ORIG_HEAD [1m(10)
137 $ git gc [1m(11)
138 1. checkout a new branch mine from master.
140 2. repeat as needed.
141 3. extract patches from your branch, relative to master,
142 4. and email them.
143 5. return to master, ready to see what’s new
144 6. git pull fetches from origin by default and merges into the
145 current branch.
146 7. immediately after pulling, look at the changes done upstream
147 since last time we checked, only in the area we are interested in.
148 8. check the branch names in an external repository (if not known).
149 9. fetch from a specific branch ALL from a specific repository and
150 merge it.
151 10. revert the pull.
152 11. garbage collect leftover objects from reverted pull.
153 Push into another repository.
155 satellite$ git clone mothership:frotz frotz [1m(1)
157 satellite$ cd frotz
158 satellite$ git config --get-regexp '^(remote|branch)\.' [1m(2)
159 remote.origin.url mothership:frotz
160 remote.origin.fetch refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
161 branch.master.remote origin
162 branch.master.merge refs/heads/master
163 satellite$ git config remote.origin.push \
164 +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/satellite/* [1m(3)
165 satellite$ edit/compile/test/commit
166 satellite$ git push origin [1m(4)
167 mothership$ cd frotz
169 mothership$ git switch master
170 mothership$ git merge satellite/master [1m(5)
171 1. mothership machine has a frotz repository under your home
173 directory; clone from it to start a repository on the satellite
174 machine.
175 2. clone sets these configuration variables by default. It arranges
176 git pull to fetch and store the branches of mothership machine to
177 local remotes/origin/* remote-tracking branches.
178 3. arrange git push to push all local branches to their
179 corresponding branch of the mothership machine.
180 4. push will stash all our work away on remotes/satellite/*
181 remote-tracking branches on the mothership machine. You could use
182 this as a back-up method. Likewise, you can pretend that mothership
183 "fetched" from you (useful when access is one sided).
184 5. on mothership machine, merge the work done on the satellite
185 machine into the master branch.
186 Branch off of a specific tag.
188 $ git switch -c private2.6.14 v2.6.14 [1m(1)
190 $ edit/compile/test; git commit -a
191 $ git checkout master
192 $ git cherry-pick v2.6.14..private2.6.14 [1m(2)
193 1. create a private branch based on a well known (but somewhat
195 behind) tag.
196 2. forward port all changes in private2.6.14 branch to master
197 branch without a formal "merging". Or longhand
198 git format-patch -k -m --stdout v2.6.14..private2.6.14 | git am -3
200 -k
201 An alternate participant submission mechanism is using the git
203 request-pull or pull-request mechanisms (e.g as used on GitHub
204 (www.github.com) to notify your upstream of your contribution.
205
207 A fairly central person acting as the integrator in a group project
208 receives changes made by others, reviews and integrates them and
209 publishes the result for others to use, using these commands in
210 addition to the ones needed by participants.
211 This section can also be used by those who respond to git request-pull
213 or pull-request on GitHub (www.github.com) to integrate the work of
214 others into their history. A sub-area lieutenant for a repository will
215 act both as a participant and as an integrator.
216 · git-am(1) to apply patches e-mailed in from your contributors.
218 · git-pull(1) to merge from your trusted lieutenants.
220 · git-format-patch(1) to prepare and send suggested alternative to
222 contributors.
223 · git-revert(1) to undo botched commits.
225 · git-push(1) to publish the bleeding edge.
227 Examples
229 A typical integrator’s Git day.
230 $ git status [1m(1)
232 $ git branch --no-merged master [1m(2)
233 $ mailx [1m(3)
234 & s 2 3 4 5 ./+to-apply
235 & s 7 8 ./+hold-linus
236 & q
237 $ git switch -c topic/one master
238 $ git am -3 -i -s ./+to-apply [1m(4)
239 $ compile/test
240 $ git switch -c hold/linus && git am -3 -i -s ./+hold-linus [1m(5)
241 $ git switch topic/one && git rebase master [1m(6)
242 $ git switch -C pu next [1m(7)
243 $ git merge topic/one topic/two && git merge hold/linus [1m(8)
244 $ git switch maint
245 $ git cherry-pick master~4 [1m(9)
246 $ compile/test
247 $ git tag -s -m "GIT 0.99.9x" v0.99.9x [1m(10)
248 $ git fetch ko && for branch in master maint next pu [1m(11)
249 do
250 git show-branch ko/$branch $branch [1m(12)
251 done
252 $ git push --follow-tags ko [1m(13)
253 1. see what you were in the middle of doing, if anything.
255 2. see which branches haven’t been merged into master yet. Likewise
256 for any other integration branches e.g. maint, next and pu
257 (potential updates).
258 3. read mails, save ones that are applicable, and save others that
259 are not quite ready (other mail readers are available).
260 4. apply them, interactively, with your sign-offs.
261 5. create topic branch as needed and apply, again with sign-offs.
262 6. rebase internal topic branch that has not been merged to the
263 master or exposed as a part of a stable branch.
264 7. restart pu every time from the next.
265 8. and bundle topic branches still cooking.
266 9. backport a critical fix.
267 10. create a signed tag.
268 11. make sure master was not accidentally rewound beyond that
269 already pushed out.
270 12. In the output from git show-branch, master should have
271 everything ko/master has, and next should have everything ko/next
272 has, etc.
273 13. push out the bleeding edge, together with new tags that point
274 into the pushed history.
275 In this example, the ko shorthand points at the Git maintainer’s
277 repository at kernel.org, and looks like this:
278 (in .git/config)
280 [remote "ko"]
281 url = kernel.org:/pub/scm/git/git.git
282 fetch = refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/ko/*
283 push = refs/heads/master
284 push = refs/heads/next
285 push = +refs/heads/pu
286 push = refs/heads/maint
287
290 A repository administrator uses the following tools to set up and
291 maintain access to the repository by developers.
292 · git-daemon(1) to allow anonymous download from repository.
294 · git-shell(1) can be used as a restricted login shell for shared
296 central repository users.
297 · git-http-backend(1) provides a server side implementation of
299 Git-over-HTTP ("Smart http") allowing both fetch and push services.
300 · gitweb(1) provides a web front-end to Git repositories, which can
302 be set-up using the git-instaweb(1) script.
303 update hook howto[1] has a good example of managing a shared central
305 repository.
306 In addition there are a number of other widely deployed hosting,
308 browsing and reviewing solutions such as:
309 · gitolite, gerrit code review, cgit and others.
311 Examples
313 We assume the following in /etc/services
314 $ grep 9418 /etc/services
316 git 9418/tcp # Git Version Control System
317 Run git-daemon to serve /pub/scm from inetd.
320 $ grep git /etc/inetd.conf
322 git stream tcp nowait nobody \
323 /usr/bin/git-daemon git-daemon --inetd --export-all /pub/scm
324 The actual configuration line should be on one line.
326 Run git-daemon to serve /pub/scm from xinetd.
328 $ cat /etc/xinetd.d/git-daemon
330 # default: off
331 # description: The Git server offers access to Git repositories
332 service git
333 {
334 disable = no
335 type = UNLISTED
336 port = 9418
337 socket_type = stream
338 wait = no
339 user = nobody
340 server = /usr/bin/git-daemon
341 server_args = --inetd --export-all --base-path=/pub/scm
342 log_on_failure += USERID
343 }
344 Check your xinetd(8) documentation and setup, this is from a Fedora
346 system. Others might be different.
347 Give push/pull only access to developers using git-over-ssh.
349 e.g. those using: $ git push/pull ssh://host.xz/pub/scm/project
350 $ grep git /etc/passwd [1m(1)
352 alice:x:1000:1000::/home/alice:/usr/bin/git-shell
353 bob:x:1001:1001::/home/bob:/usr/bin/git-shell
354 cindy:x:1002:1002::/home/cindy:/usr/bin/git-shell
355 david:x:1003:1003::/home/david:/usr/bin/git-shell
356 $ grep git /etc/shells [1m(2)
357 /usr/bin/git-shell
358 1. log-in shell is set to /usr/bin/git-shell, which does not allow
360 anything but git push and git pull. The users require ssh access to
361 the machine.
362 2. in many distributions /etc/shells needs to list what is used as
363 the login shell.
364 CVS-style shared repository.
366 $ grep git /etc/group [1m(1)
368 git:x:9418:alice,bob,cindy,david
369 $ cd /home/devo.git
370 $ ls -l [1m(2)
371 lrwxrwxrwx 1 david git 17 Dec 4 22:40 HEAD -> refs/heads/master
372 drwxrwsr-x 2 david git 4096 Dec 4 22:40 branches
373 -rw-rw-r-- 1 david git 84 Dec 4 22:40 config
374 -rw-rw-r-- 1 david git 58 Dec 4 22:40 description
375 drwxrwsr-x 2 david git 4096 Dec 4 22:40 hooks
376 -rw-rw-r-- 1 david git 37504 Dec 4 22:40 index
377 drwxrwsr-x 2 david git 4096 Dec 4 22:40 info
378 drwxrwsr-x 4 david git 4096 Dec 4 22:40 objects
379 drwxrwsr-x 4 david git 4096 Nov 7 14:58 refs
380 drwxrwsr-x 2 david git 4096 Dec 4 22:40 remotes
381 $ ls -l hooks/update [1m(3)
382 -r-xr-xr-x 1 david git 3536 Dec 4 22:40 update
383 $ cat info/allowed-users [1m(4)
384 refs/heads/master alice\|cindy
385 refs/heads/doc-update bob
386 refs/tags/v[0-9]* david
387 1. place the developers into the same git group.
389 2. and make the shared repository writable by the group.
390 3. use update-hook example by Carl from Documentation/howto/ for
391 branch policy control.
392 4. alice and cindy can push into master, only bob can push into
393 doc-update. david is the release manager and is the only person who
394 can create and push version tags.
395
397 Part of the git(1) suite
398
400 1. update hook howto
401 file:///usr/share/doc/git/howto/update-hook-example.html
402Git 2.24.1 12/10/2019 GITEVERYDAY(7)