git-pack-refs - Linux

Overview

git-pack-refs is a Git command used to prepare local repository references for efficient network transfer. It builds a packfile containing the entire ref namespace, which serves as a snapshot of the references at a specific point in time.

Syntax

git pack-refs [--all] [--prune] [--stat] [--local]

Options/Flags

–all: Pack all refs, including those for tags and remotes.
–prune: Remove dangling refs from the packfile.
–stat: Show statistics about the created packfile.
–local: Pack only local refs, excluding tags and remotes.

Examples

Pack all refs:
```
git pack-refs --all
```
Pack only local refs:
```
git pack-refs --local
```
Pack and prune dangling refs:
```
git pack-refs --all --prune
```
Show statistics on the created packfile:
```
git pack-refs --stat
```

Common Issues

Error: No refs to pack: This occurs when there are no references in the repository. Ensure there are objects and commits in the repository before packing refs.

Integration

git-pack-refs can be used with git push to efficiently transfer the ref namespace to a remote repository.

git push --all --tags remote-name refs/heads

Related Commands

git fetch: Downloads references from a remote repository.
git push: Uploads references to a remote repository.