'\" 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: 02/22/2023
.\"    Manual: Git Manual
.\"    Source: Git 2.30.2
.\"  Language: English
.\"
.TH "GIT\-PACK\-REFS" "1" "02/22/2023" "Git 2\&.30\&.2" "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]
.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 branch tips to be packed as well\&. 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
.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