NAME¶

git-branch - List, create, or delete branches

SYNOPSIS¶

git branch [--color[=<when>] | --no-color] [-r | -a]


        [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]


        [(--merged | --no-merged | --contains) [<commit>]]
git branch [--set-upstream | --track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
git branch (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
git branch (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...

DESCRIPTION¶

With no arguments, existing branches are listed and the current branch will be highlighted with an asterisk. Option -r causes the remote-tracking branches to be listed, and option -a shows both.

With --contains, shows only the branches that contain the named commit (in other words, the branches whose tip commits are descendants of the named commit). With --merged, only branches merged into the named commit (i.e. the branches whose tip commits are reachable from the named commit) will be listed. With --no-merged only branches not merged into the named commit will be listed. If the <commit> argument is missing it defaults to HEAD (i.e. the tip of the current branch).

The command’s second form creates a new branch head named <branchname> which points to the current HEAD, or <start-point> if given.

Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>" to switch to the new branch.

When a local branch is started off a remote branch, git sets up the branch so that git pull will appropriately merge from the remote branch. This behavior may be changed via the global branch.autosetupmerge configuration flag. That setting can be overridden by using the --track and --no-track options.

With a -m or -M option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>. If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename to happen.

With a -d or -D option, <branchname> will be deleted. You may specify more than one branch for deletion. If the branch currently has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.

Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist in the remote repository or if git fetch was configured not to fetch them again. See also the prune subcommand of git-remote(1) for a way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.

OPTIONS¶

-d

-D

-l

-f, --force

-m

-M

--color[=<when>]

--no-color

-r

-a

-v, --verbose

--abbrev=<length>

--no-abbrev

-t, --track

--no-track

--set-upstream

--contains <commit>

--merged [<commit>]

--no-merged [<commit>]

<branchname>

<start-point>

<oldbranch>

<newbranch>

EXAMPLES¶

Start development from a known tag

$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
$ cd my2.6
$ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   (1)
$ git checkout my2.6.14

Delete an unneeded branch

$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
$ cd my.git
$ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   (1)
$ git branch -D test                                    (2)

NOTES¶

If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately, it is easier to use the git checkout command with its -b option to create a branch and check it out with a single command.

The options --contains, --merged and --no-merged serve three related but different purposes:

SEE ALSO¶

git-check-ref-format(1), git-fetch(1), git-remote(1), “Understanding history: What is a branch?”[1] in the Git User’s Manual.

AUTHOR¶

Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org[2]> and Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com[3]>

DOCUMENTATION¶

Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org[4]>.

GIT¶

Part of the git(1) suite

NOTES¶

1.

“Understanding history: What is a branch?”

2.

torvalds@osdl.org

3.

gitster@pobox.com

4.

git@vger.kernel.org