Git Glossary

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@mention

A feature in Git platforms that allows users to notify specific team members or reference issues by using the @ symbol followed by a username.

API preview

A feature allowing developers to test and provide feedback on new Git API functionality before it's officially released.

Bare Repository

A Git repository containing version control information without a working directory, typically used as a central repository for collaboration.

Bisect

A Git command used to perform a binary search through a repository's history to identify the commit that introduced a bug or issue.

Bitbucket Pipelines

An integrated CI/CD service in Bitbucket for automating builds, tests, and deployments.

Blame

A Git feature that shows which user last modified each line of a file, helping developers trace changes and understand code history.

Blamestorming

A collaborative process of analyzing Git blame information to identify the source of bugs or issues in a codebase.

Branch

A parallel version of a repository, allowing developers to work on different features or experiments without affecting the main codebase.

Branch policies

Rules enforced on Git branches to ensure code quality, require reviews, or restrict certain actions before merging.

Business plan

A premium subscription tier offered by Git hosting services, providing advanced features and support for enterprise users.

CA certificate

A digital certificate issued by a Certificate Authority, used in Git to establish secure HTTPS connections and verify server identities.

Cache

A temporary storage area that holds frequently accessed data for quick retrieval, improving system performance.

Checkout

A Git command used to switch between different branches or restore files from a specific commit in a repository's history.

Cherry-Pick

A Git operation that applies the changes from a specific commit to the current branch, useful for selective code integration.

Cherry-picking

The practice of selecting and applying specific commits from one branch to another in Git, often used for targeted bug fixes.

Clone

The process of creating a local copy of a remote Git repository, allowing developers to work on the codebase independently.

Code owners file

A file specifying individuals or teams responsible for code in different parts of a repository.

Commit

Operation in version control systems that saves changes to the local repository, creating a new revision with a unique identifier.

Conflict

A situation in Git where incompatible changes have been made to the same part of a file, requiring manual resolution before merging.

Continuous Integration

Practice of merging all developer working copies to a shared mainline several times a day.

DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph)

Directed Acyclic Graph, the underlying data structure used by Git to represent the commit history and relationships between commits.

Detach HEAD

A Git operation that moves the HEAD pointer to a specific commit, allowing for temporary exploration of historical states.

Diff

A Git command or operation that shows the differences between two commits, branches, files, or other Git objects.

Downstream

Refers to the direction of change propagation in Git, typically from a parent branch to its child branches or forks.

Explorer

A feature in Git platforms for browsing repository contents, viewing files, and navigating through different branches.

Feature branch workflow

A Git pattern where each new feature is developed in a dedicated branch, then merged back to the main branch.

Fetch

A Git command that retrieves changes from a remote repository without automatically merging them into the local branch.

Force Push

A Git push operation that overwrites the remote branch's history with the local branch, potentially causing data loss if used carelessly.

Fork

A personal copy of another user's repository on a Git hosting platform, allowing independent development without affecting the original project.

Free plan

A no-cost tier offered by Git hosting services, typically with limited features and storage for individual users or small projects.

GPG (GNU Privacy Guard)

An encryption software used with Git for signing commits and tags, enhancing security and verification.

Gist

A simple way to share code snippets, notes, or small files using Git, often integrated into Git platforms.

Git

Distributed version control system for tracking changes in source code during software development.

Git Alias

A custom shortcut command defined by users to simplify complex or frequently used Git operations.

Git Alternates

A mechanism in Git allowing a repository to borrow objects from another repository, useful for saving disk space in large projects.

Git Annotate

A Git command that shows the author and commit information for each line in a file, similar to the "blame" feature.

Git Assume Unchanged

A Git feature that tells the system to temporarily ignore changes to a tracked file, useful for local configuration files.

Git Attributes

A mechanism in Git for defining attributes on a per-path basis, controlling how Git handles certain files or directories.

Git Bisect

A Git command used to perform a binary search through the commit history to find the commit that introduced a bug.

Git Bisect Run

An automated version of Git Bisect that uses a script to determine if each checked-out commit is "good" or "bad".

Git Blame -C (Copy Detection)

An enhanced version of Git Blame that detects lines moved or copied from other files, providing better change tracking.

Git Bundle

A Git command that creates a single file containing all the data needed to recreate a repository's branch or history.

Git Bundle Create/Verify

Commands to create and verify Git bundles, useful for transferring repository data without using a network.

Git Cheat Sheet

A quick reference guide summarizing common Git commands and their usage, helpful for both beginners and experienced users.

Git Cherry

A Git command used to find commits that haven't been merged upstream, useful for identifying changes to be applied to another branch.

Git Clean

A command to remove untracked files from the working directory, helping to maintain a clean repository state.

Git Commit --amend

A command that allows you to modify the most recent commit, adding new changes or updating the commit message.

Git Commit Amend

A command that allows you to modify the most recent commit, changing its message or contents, and update it without creating a new commit.

Git Commit Hooks

Scripts that run automatically before or after a commit, allowing you to enforce rules, format code, or perform checks on changes.

Git Commit Templates

Predefined structures for commit messages, helping maintain consistency and include necessary information in commits.

Git Commit Trailers

Metadata added to the end of commit messages, often used for things like issue references or sign-offs.

Git Commit-graph

A file format used to store commit graph structure, improving performance for operations that traverse commit history.

Git Commit-graph Verify

A command to check the integrity and validity of the commit-graph file in a Git repository.

Git Commit-tree

A low-level Git command used to create a new commit object from an existing tree object.

Git Config

A command and system for setting configuration options for Git on a global, local, or repository level.

Git Count-objects

A diagnostic command that provides statistics about the number and size of objects in a Git repository.

Git Credential Helper

A system that securely stores and retrieves credentials for Git operations, reducing the need for manual authentication.

Git Daemon

A lightweight server for the Git protocol, allowing anonymous read access to Git repositories.

Git Dangling Objects

Objects in Git that are not reachable from any reference, often created during rebasing or other history-altering operations.

Git Describe

A command that generates a human-readable name for a commit based on the most recent tag and additional commit information.

Git Diff

A command that shows changes between commits, branches, files, or the working directory and the index.

Git Diff Algorithms

Various methods used by Git to compute differences between versions of files, optimizing for different scenarios.

Git Diff Tool

An external program or interface used to visualize differences between files or commits in a more user-friendly manner.

Git Fetch --All

A command that fetches updates from all remote repositories configured in a Git project.

Git Filter-branch

A powerful tool for rewriting Git history, allowing for large-scale changes across many commits.

Git Flow

A branching model for Git that defines a strict branching structure designed to support multiple parallel developments.

Git Fork

The process of creating a personal copy of someone else's project, allowing for independent development without affecting the original.

Git Fsck

A command that verifies the connectivity and validity of objects in the Git database.

Git Fsck (File System Check)

Verifies the integrity of objects in the Git database, checking for corruption and inconsistencies.

Git GPG verification

A security feature in Git that uses GPG to sign and verify commits and tags, ensuring authenticity.

Git Garbage Collection (gc)

A process that optimizes the Git repository by removing unnecessary files and compressing objects.

Git Gc (Garbage Collection)

Short for Git Garbage Collection, a command to clean up unnecessary files and optimize the repository.

Git Grep

A command for searching files in a Git repository using regular expressions or simple string matching.

Git Hook

A script that Git automatically runs before or after specific events, like commits or merges, to customize workflows and enforce rules.

Git Hooks

Same as Git Hook, scripts triggered by various Git actions to automate tasks or enforce policies.

Git Ignore

A mechanism to specify intentionally untracked files that Git should ignore, typically defined in a .gitignore file.

Git Index Format

The internal format used by Git to store the staging area information, representing the next commit to be made.

Git Init

A command used to initialize a new Git repository, creating the necessary directory structure for version control.

Git Interactive Rebase

A feature allowing users to modify commits in their branch history, useful for cleaning up before merging.

Git Internals (objects, refs, etc.)

The underlying data structures and mechanisms Git uses to store and manage version control information.

Git Interpret-trailers

A command to parse and manipulate the trailer lines typically found at the end of commit messages.

Git LFS (Large File Storage)

A system that manages large files by storing them outside the main repository, replacing them with lightweight pointers to improve performance and efficiency.

Git Large File Storage (LFS)

An extension that replaces large files with text pointers in Git, while storing the file contents on a remote server.

Git Log

A command to display the commit history of a repository, showing details like author, date, and commit message.

Git Maintenance

A set of tasks performed to keep a Git repository in good condition, including garbage collection and optimization.

Git Merge Strategies

Different algorithms used by Git to combine separate development histories when merging branches.

Git Merge Tools

External programs or interfaces used to resolve merge conflicts in a more visual and user-friendly manner.

Git Merge-base

A command that finds the best common ancestor between two commits, useful for determining the point where branches diverged.

Git Multi-pack Index (MIDX)

A feature that improves performance for repositories with many pack files by creating an index across multiple packs.

Git Namespaces

A feature allowing multiple references (like branches or tags) with the same name to coexist by separating them into different namespaces.

Git Notes

A way to add or inspect object notes, allowing additional information to be attached to Git objects without changing their SHA-1 hash.

Git Object Storage

The system Git uses to store all the versions of files, commits, and other objects in a content-addressable filesystem.

Git Pack Files

Compressed files containing Git objects, used to efficiently store and transfer repository data.

Git Packfile Format

The internal format used by Git to store multiple objects efficiently in a single file, reducing disk usage and improving performance.

Git Partial Clone

A feature allowing users to clone a repository without downloading all of its objects, saving bandwidth and storage.

Git Patch

A file format representing changes between versions, used for sharing and applying modifications across different repositories.

Git Plumbing Commands

Low-level Git commands that expose the internal workings of Git, primarily used for scripting and advanced operations.

Git Porcelain Commands

User-friendly commands for everyday tasks, like git status and git commit, designed for ease of use and clear output.

Git Protocol

The native network protocol used by Git for efficient data transfer between repositories.

Git Prune

A command that removes objects that are no longer reachable from any references in the repository.