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GIT-BRANCH(1)                     Git Manual                     GIT-BRANCH(1)

NAME
       git-branch - List, create, or delete branches
SYNOPSIS
       git branch [--color[=<when>] | --no-color] [-r | -a]
               [--list] [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
               [--column[=<options>] | --no-column]
               [(--merged | --no-merged | --contains) [<commit>]] [<pattern>...]
       git branch [--set-upstream | --track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
       git branch (--set-upstream-to=<upstream> | -u <upstream>) [<branchname>]
       git branch --unset-upstream [<branchname>]
       git branch (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
       git branch (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...
       git branch --edit-description [<branchname>]

DESCRIPTION
       If --list is given, or if there are no non-option arguments, existing
       branches are listed; the current branch will be highlighted with an
       asterisk. Option -r causes the remote-tracking branches to be listed,
       and option -a shows both local and remote branches. If a <pattern> is
       given, it is used as a shell wildcard to restrict the output to
       matching branches. If multiple patterns are given, a branch is shown if
       it matches any of the patterns. Note that when providing a <pattern>,
       you must use --list; otherwise the command is interpreted as branch
       creation.
       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-tracking branch, Git sets
       up the branch so that git pull will appropriately merge from the
       remote-tracking 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, and changed
       later using git branch --set-upstream-to.
       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, --delete
           Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its upstream
           branch, or in HEAD if no upstream was set with --track or
           --set-upstream.
       -D
           Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.
       -l, --create-reflog
           Create the branch's reflog. This activates recording of all changes
           made to the branch ref, enabling use of date based sha1 expressions
           such as "<branchname>@{yesterday}". Note that in non-bare
           repositories, reflogs are usually enabled by default by the
           core.logallrefupdates config option.
       -f, --force
           Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists already.
           Without -fgit branch refuses to change an existing branch.
       -m, --move
           Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
       -M
           Move/rename a branch even if the new branch name already exists.
       --color[=<when>]
           Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote-tracking
           branches. The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
       --no-color
           Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
           default to color output. Same as --color=never.
       --column[=<options>], --no-column
           Display branch listing in columns. See configuration variable
           column.branch for option syntax.--column and --no-column without
           options are equivalent to always and never respectively.
           This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.
       -r, --remotes
           List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
       -a, --all
           List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
       --list
           Activate the list mode.  git branch <pattern> would try to create a
           branch, use git branch --list <pattern> to list matching branches.
       -v, -vv, --verbose
           When in list mode, show sha1 and commit subject line for each head,
           along with relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given
           twice, print the name of the upstream branch, as well (see also git
           remote show <remote>).
       -q, --quiet
           Be more quiet when creating or deleting a branch, suppressing
           non-error messages.
       --abbrev=<length>
           Alter the sha1's minimum display length in the output listing. The
           default value is 7 and can be overridden by the core.abbrev config
           option.
       --no-abbrev
           Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than
           abbreviating them.
       -t, --track
           When creating a new branch, set up configuration to mark the
           start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This
           configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the
           two branches in git status and git branch -v. Furthermore, it
           directs git pull without arguments to pull from the upstream when
           the new branch is checked out.
           This behavior is the default when the start point is a
           remote-tracking branch. Set the branch.autosetupmerge configuration
           variable to false if you want git checkout and git branch to always
           behave as if --no-track were given. Set it to always if you want
           this behavior when the start-point is either a local or
           remote-tracking branch.
       --no-track
           Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
           branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.
       --set-upstream
           If specified branch does not exist yet or if --force has been
           given, acts exactly like --track. Otherwise sets up configuration
           like --track would when creating the branch, except that where
           branch points to is not changed.
       -u <upstream>, --set-upstream-to=<upstream>
           Set up <branchname>'s tracking information so <upstream> is
           considered <branchname>'s upstream branch. If no <branchname> is
           specified, then it defaults to the current branch.
       --unset-upstream
           Remove the upstream information for <branchname>. If no branch is
           specified it defaults to the current branch.
       --edit-description
           Open an editor and edit the text to explain what the branch is for,
           to be used by various other commands (e.g.  request-pull).
       --contains [<commit>]
           Only list branches which contain the specified commit (HEAD if not
           specified). Implies --list.
       --merged [<commit>]
           Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the specified
           commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies --list.
       --no-merged [<commit>]
           Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the specified
           commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies --list.
       <branchname>
           The name of the branch to create or delete. The new branch name
           must pass all checks defined by git-check-ref-format(1). Some of
           these checks may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
       <start-point>
           The new branch head will point to this commit. It may be given as a
           branch name, a commit-id, or a tag. If this option is omitted, the
           current HEAD will be used instead.
       <oldbranch>
           The name of an existing branch to rename.
       <newbranch>
           The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
           <branchname> apply.
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
           1. This step and the next one could be combined into a single step
           with "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
       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)
           1. Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man".
           The next fetch or pull will create them again unless you configure
           them not to. See git-fetch(1).
           2. Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or
           whichever branch is currently checked out) does not have all
           commits from the test branch.
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:
       o   --contains <commit> is used to find all branches which will need
           special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since
           those branches contain the specified <commit>.
       o   --merged is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
           since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
       o   --no-merged is used to find branches which are candidates for
           merging into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by
           HEAD.
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.
GIT
       Part of the git(1) suite
NOTES
        1. "Understanding history: What is a branch?"
           file:///usr/share/doc/git-1.8.3.1/user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch

Git 1.8.3.1                       07/30/2024                     GIT-BRANCH(1)