1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
|
'\" t
.\" Title: git-pack-refs
.\" Author: [FIXME: author] [see http://www.docbook.org/tdg5/en/html/author]
.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets vsnapshot <http://docbook.sf.net/>
.\" Date: 2024-04-24
.\" Manual: Git Manual
.\" Source: Git 2.45.0.rc1.1.g9f32d8da7a
.\" Language: English
.\"
.TH "GIT\-PACK\-REFS" "1" "2024\-04\-24" "Git 2\&.45\&.0\&.rc1\&.1\&.g9f" "Git Manual"
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * Define some portability stuff
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.\" http://bugs.debian.org/507673
.\" http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2009-02/msg00013.html
.\" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.ie \n(.g .ds Aq \(aq
.el .ds Aq '
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * set default formatting
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" disable hyphenation
.nh
.\" disable justification (adjust text to left margin only)
.ad l
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * MAIN CONTENT STARTS HERE *
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.SH "NAME"
git-pack-refs \- Pack heads and tags for efficient repository access
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.sp
.nf
\fIgit pack\-refs\fR [\-\-all] [\-\-no\-prune] [\-\-auto] [\-\-include <pattern>] [\-\-exclude <pattern>]
.fi
.sp
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.sp
Traditionally, tips of branches and tags (collectively known as \fIrefs\fR) were stored one file per ref in a (sub)directory under \fB$GIT_DIR/refs\fR directory\&. While many branch tips tend to be updated often, most tags and some branch tips are never updated\&. When a repository has hundreds or thousands of tags, this one\-file\-per\-ref format both wastes storage and hurts performance\&.
.sp
This command is used to solve the storage and performance problem by storing the refs in a single file, \fB$GIT_DIR/packed\-refs\fR\&. When a ref is missing from the traditional \fB$GIT_DIR/refs\fR directory hierarchy, it is looked up in this file and used if found\&.
.sp
Subsequent updates to branches always create new files under \fB$GIT_DIR/refs\fR directory hierarchy\&.
.sp
A recommended practice to deal with a repository with too many refs is to pack its refs with \fB\-\-all\fR once, and occasionally run \fBgit pack\-refs\fR\&. Tags are by definition stationary and are not expected to change\&. Branch heads will be packed with the initial \fBpack\-refs \-\-all\fR, but only the currently active branch heads will become unpacked, and the next \fBpack\-refs\fR (without \fB\-\-all\fR) will leave them unpacked\&.
.SH "OPTIONS"
.PP
\-\-all
.RS 4
The command by default packs all tags and refs that are already packed, and leaves other refs alone\&. This is because branches are expected to be actively developed and packing their tips does not help performance\&. This option causes all refs to be packed as well, with the exception of hidden refs, broken refs, and symbolic refs\&. Useful for a repository with many branches of historical interests\&.
.RE
.PP
\-\-no\-prune
.RS 4
The command usually removes loose refs under
\fB$GIT_DIR/refs\fR
hierarchy after packing them\&. This option tells it not to\&.
.RE
.PP
\-\-auto
.RS 4
Pack refs as needed depending on the current state of the ref database\&. The behavior depends on the ref format used by the repository and may change in the future\&.
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP \(bu 2.3
.\}
"files": No special handling for
\fB\-\-auto\fR
has been implemented\&.
.RE
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP \(bu 2.3
.\}
"reftable": Tables are compacted such that they form a geometric sequence\&. For two tables N and N+1, where N+1 is newer, this maintains the property that N is at least twice as big as N+1\&. Only tables that violate this property are compacted\&.
.RE
.RE
.PP
\-\-include <pattern>
.RS 4
Pack refs based on a
\fBglob(7)\fR
pattern\&. Repetitions of this option accumulate inclusion patterns\&. If a ref is both included in
\fB\-\-include\fR
and
\fB\-\-exclude\fR,
\fB\-\-exclude\fR
takes precedence\&. Using
\fB\-\-include\fR
will preclude all tags from being included by default\&. Symbolic refs and broken refs will never be packed\&. When used with
\fB\-\-all\fR, it will be a noop\&. Use
\fB\-\-no\-include\fR
to clear and reset the list of patterns\&.
.RE
.PP
\-\-exclude <pattern>
.RS 4
Do not pack refs matching the given
\fBglob(7)\fR
pattern\&. Repetitions of this option accumulate exclusion patterns\&. Use
\fB\-\-no\-exclude\fR
to clear and reset the list of patterns\&. If a ref is already packed, including it with
\fB\-\-exclude\fR
will not unpack it\&.
.RE
.sp
When used with \fB\-\-all\fR, pack only loose refs which do not match any of the provided \fB\-\-exclude\fR patterns\&.
.sp
When used with \fB\-\-include\fR, refs provided to \fB\-\-include\fR, minus refs that are provided to \fB\-\-exclude\fR will be packed\&.
.SH "BUGS"
.sp
Older documentation written before the packed\-refs mechanism was introduced may still say things like "\&.git/refs/heads/<branch> file exists" when it means "branch <branch> exists"\&.
.SH "GIT"
.sp
Part of the \fBgit\fR(1) suite
|
