Git Glossary

From commit to clone to pull request, your passport to the collaborative world of Git workflows.

stash entry

A single set of stashed changes in Git, which can be reapplied later to the working directory.

status checks

Automated tests or processes that run when changes are proposed in a Git repository, ensuring code quality and compatibility.

subscription

Notifications or updates a user receives about activity in Git repositories they're interested in or contributing to.

superproject

The main Git repository that contains submodules, managing references to specific versions of nested repositories.

symref

A symbolic reference in Git that points to another reference, most commonly used for HEAD pointing to the current branch.

tag object

A Git object containing metadata about a tag, including the tagger, date, and optional message.

team

A group of users on a Git platform with shared access permissions to repositories within an organization.

team maintainer

A user with administrative privileges for managing a team's membership and access rights in a Git organization.

timeline

A chronological display of events and activities in a Git repository or user profile on hosting platforms.

topic branch

A short-lived Git branch created to develop a specific feature or fix a particular issue.

topics

Keywords or categories assigned to Git repositories to help users discover related projects on hosting platforms.

traffic graph

A visual representation of visitor activity and clone statistics for a Git repository on hosting platforms.

transfer

The process of moving Git objects between repositories during push, fetch, or clone operations.

tree

A Git object representing a directory structure, containing references to blobs (files) and other trees (subdirectories).

tree object

A Git object that stores the hierarchy of files and directories in a repository at a specific point in time.

tree-ish (also treeish)

A Git term referring to an object that resolves to a tree, such as a commit, tag, or tree.

unborn

A state of a Git branch that has no commits yet, typically seen when initializing a new repository.

unmerged index

The state of the Git index containing conflicting changes from different branches during a merge operation.

unreachable object

A Git object not accessible from any reference, potentially subject to garbage collection if not recovered.

upstream branch

The remote branch that a local branch is set to track, used as a reference for pull and push operations.

user

An individual account on a Git platform, associated with personal repositories and contributions.

user-to-server request

An authenticated request from a Git client to a server, typically for operations like push or fetch.

username

The unique identifier for a user account on Git platforms, used for authentication and mention notifications.

visible team

A team in a Git organization that is visible to all members of the organization, as opposed to secret teams.

watch

A feature allowing users to receive notifications about activity in Git repositories they're interested in.

watching notifications

Alerts received for all notable events in a watched Git repository, including issues, pull requests, and releases.

web notifications

Alerts displayed on Git platforms' web interfaces, notifying users of relevant activity or mentions.

working area

The directory on your local machine where you modify files before staging and committing them in Git.

working tree

The set of files and directories in your project that are currently checked out and available for editing.

worktree

A Git feature allowing multiple working directories to be associated with a single repository.

write access

Permission to make changes to a Git repository, including pushing commits and modifying branches.