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diff --git a/Documentation/git-clone.txt b/Documentation/git-clone.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..5c16e317f6 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/git-clone.txt @@ -0,0 +1,283 @@ +git-clone(1) +============ + +NAME +---- +git-clone - Clone a repository into a new directory + + +SYNOPSIS +-------- +[verse] +'git clone' [--template=<template_directory>] + [-l] [-s] [--no-hardlinks] [-q] [-n] [--bare] [--mirror] + [-o <name>] [-b <name>] [-u <upload-pack>] [--reference <repository>] + [--separate-git-dir <git dir>] + [--depth <depth>] [--[no-]single-branch] + [--recursive|--recurse-submodules] [--] <repository> + [<directory>] + +DESCRIPTION +----------- + +Clones a repository into a newly created directory, creates +remote-tracking branches for each branch in the cloned repository +(visible using `git branch -r`), and creates and checks out an +initial branch that is forked from the cloned repository's +currently active branch. + +After the clone, a plain `git fetch` without arguments will update +all the remote-tracking branches, and a `git pull` without +arguments will in addition merge the remote master branch into the +current master branch, if any (this is untrue when "--single-branch" +is given; see below). + +This default configuration is achieved by creating references to +the remote branch heads under `refs/remotes/origin` and +by initializing `remote.origin.url` and `remote.origin.fetch` +configuration variables. + + +OPTIONS +------- +--local:: +-l:: + When the repository to clone from is on a local machine, + this flag bypasses the normal "Git aware" transport + mechanism and clones the repository by making a copy of + HEAD and everything under objects and refs directories. + The files under `.git/objects/` directory are hardlinked + to save space when possible. ++ +If the repository is specified as a local path (e.g., `/path/to/repo`), +this is the default, and --local is essentially a no-op. If the +repository is specified as a URL, then this flag is ignored (and we +never use the local optimizations). Specifying `--no-local` will +override the default when `/path/to/repo` is given, using the regular +Git transport instead. ++ +To force copying instead of hardlinking (which may be desirable if you +are trying to make a back-up of your repository), but still avoid the +usual "Git aware" transport mechanism, `--no-hardlinks` can be used. + +--no-hardlinks:: + Optimize the cloning process from a repository on a + local filesystem by copying files under `.git/objects` + directory. + +--shared:: +-s:: + When the repository to clone is on the local machine, + instead of using hard links, automatically setup + `.git/objects/info/alternates` to share the objects + with the source repository. The resulting repository + starts out without any object of its own. ++ +*NOTE*: this is a possibly dangerous operation; do *not* use +it unless you understand what it does. If you clone your +repository using this option and then delete branches (or use any +other Git command that makes any existing commit unreferenced) in the +source repository, some objects may become unreferenced (or dangling). +These objects may be removed by normal Git operations (such as `git commit`) +which automatically call `git gc --auto`. (See linkgit:git-gc[1].) +If these objects are removed and were referenced by the cloned repository, +then the cloned repository will become corrupt. ++ +Note that running `git repack` without the `-l` option in a repository +cloned with `-s` will copy objects from the source repository into a pack +in the cloned repository, removing the disk space savings of `clone -s`. +It is safe, however, to run `git gc`, which uses the `-l` option by +default. ++ +If you want to break the dependency of a repository cloned with `-s` on +its source repository, you can simply run `git repack -a` to copy all +objects from the source repository into a pack in the cloned repository. + +--reference <repository>:: + If the reference repository is on the local machine, + automatically setup `.git/objects/info/alternates` to + obtain objects from the reference repository. Using + an already existing repository as an alternate will + require fewer objects to be copied from the repository + being cloned, reducing network and local storage costs. ++ +*NOTE*: see the NOTE for the `--shared` option. + +--quiet:: +-q:: + Operate quietly. Progress is not reported to the standard + error stream. This flag is also passed to the `rsync' + command when given. + +--verbose:: +-v:: + Run verbosely. Does not affect the reporting of progress status + to the standard error stream. + +--progress:: + Progress status is reported on the standard error stream + by default when it is attached to a terminal, unless -q + is specified. This flag forces progress status even if the + standard error stream is not directed to a terminal. + +--no-checkout:: +-n:: + No checkout of HEAD is performed after the clone is complete. + +--bare:: + Make a 'bare' Git repository. That is, instead of + creating `<directory>` and placing the administrative + files in `<directory>/.git`, make the `<directory>` + itself the `$GIT_DIR`. This obviously implies the `-n` + because there is nowhere to check out the working tree. + Also the branch heads at the remote are copied directly + to corresponding local branch heads, without mapping + them to `refs/remotes/origin/`. When this option is + used, neither remote-tracking branches nor the related + configuration variables are created. + +--mirror:: + Set up a mirror of the source repository. This implies `--bare`. + Compared to `--bare`, `--mirror` not only maps local branches of the + source to local branches of the target, it maps all refs (including + remote-tracking branches, notes etc.) and sets up a refspec configuration such + that all these refs are overwritten by a `git remote update` in the + target repository. + +--origin <name>:: +-o <name>:: + Instead of using the remote name `origin` to keep track + of the upstream repository, use `<name>`. + +--branch <name>:: +-b <name>:: + Instead of pointing the newly created HEAD to the branch pointed + to by the cloned repository's HEAD, point to `<name>` branch + instead. In a non-bare repository, this is the branch that will + be checked out. + `--branch` can also take tags and detaches the HEAD at that commit + in the resulting repository. + +--upload-pack <upload-pack>:: +-u <upload-pack>:: + When given, and the repository to clone from is accessed + via ssh, this specifies a non-default path for the command + run on the other end. + +--template=<template_directory>:: + Specify the directory from which templates will be used; + (See the "TEMPLATE DIRECTORY" section of linkgit:git-init[1].) + +--config <key>=<value>:: +-c <key>=<value>:: + Set a configuration variable in the newly-created repository; + this takes effect immediately after the repository is + initialized, but before the remote history is fetched or any + files checked out. The key is in the same format as expected by + linkgit:git-config[1] (e.g., `core.eol=true`). If multiple + values are given for the same key, each value will be written to + the config file. This makes it safe, for example, to add + additional fetch refspecs to the origin remote. + +--depth <depth>:: + Create a 'shallow' clone with a history truncated to the + specified number of revisions. A shallow repository has a + number of limitations (you cannot clone or fetch from + it, nor push from nor into it), but is adequate if you + are only interested in the recent history of a large project + with a long history, and would want to send in fixes + as patches. + +--single-branch:: + Clone only the history leading to the tip of a single branch, + either specified by the `--branch` option or the primary + branch remote's `HEAD` points at. When creating a shallow + clone with the `--depth` option, this is the default, unless + `--no-single-branch` is given to fetch the histories near the + tips of all branches. + Further fetches into the resulting repository will only update the + remote-tracking branch for the branch this option was used for the + initial cloning. If the HEAD at the remote did not point at any + branch when `--single-branch` clone was made, no remote-tracking + branch is created. + +--recursive:: +--recurse-submodules:: + After the clone is created, initialize all submodules within, + using their default settings. This is equivalent to running + `git submodule update --init --recursive` immediately after + the clone is finished. This option is ignored if the cloned + repository does not have a worktree/checkout (i.e. if any of + `--no-checkout`/`-n`, `--bare`, or `--mirror` is given) + +--separate-git-dir=<git dir>:: + Instead of placing the cloned repository where it is supposed + to be, place the cloned repository at the specified directory, + then make a filesytem-agnostic Git symbolic link to there. + The result is Git repository can be separated from working + tree. + + +<repository>:: + The (possibly remote) repository to clone from. See the + <<URLS,URLS>> section below for more information on specifying + repositories. + +<directory>:: + The name of a new directory to clone into. The "humanish" + part of the source repository is used if no directory is + explicitly given (`repo` for `/path/to/repo.git` and `foo` + for `host.xz:foo/.git`). Cloning into an existing directory + is only allowed if the directory is empty. + +:git-clone: 1 +include::urls.txt[] + +Examples +-------- + +* Clone from upstream: ++ +------------ +$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6 +$ cd my2.6 +$ make +------------ + + +* Make a local clone that borrows from the current directory, without checking things out: ++ +------------ +$ git clone -l -s -n . ../copy +$ cd ../copy +$ git show-branch +------------ + + +* Clone from upstream while borrowing from an existing local directory: ++ +------------ +$ git clone --reference my2.6 \ + git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.7 \ + my2.7 +$ cd my2.7 +------------ + + +* Create a bare repository to publish your changes to the public: ++ +------------ +$ git clone --bare -l /home/proj/.git /pub/scm/proj.git +------------ + + +* Create a repository on the kernel.org machine that borrows from Linus: ++ +------------ +$ git clone --bare -l -s /pub/scm/.../torvalds/linux-2.6.git \ + /pub/scm/.../me/subsys-2.6.git +------------ + +GIT +--- +Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite |