git-symbolic-ref - Linux

Overview

git-symbolic-ref is a Git command that prints the symbolic ref associated with a given ref.

git symbolic-ref [<options>] <ref>

-q, –quiet: Suppress printing of the symbolic ref.
-s, –short: Limit the output to the first path component of the symbolic ref.

To print the symbolic ref associated with the current HEAD:

git symbolic-ref HEAD

To print the symbolic ref of a specific commit:

git symbolic-ref refs/heads/master

To limit the output to the first path component of the symbolic ref:

git symbolic-ref -s HEAD

Error: symbolic ref not found: This error occurs when the specified ref does not exist. Ensure that the ref exists before running the command.

git-symbolic-ref can be used with other Git commands to perform advanced tasks, such as:

Renaming a branch: git branch -m old-name new-name
Creating a symbolic ref: git symbolic-ref refs/heads/new-branch refs/heads/master