Git Archive - Shell Bash

Introduction

git archive is a command in the Git version control system used to create a tar or zip archive of the contents of a specific Git commit tree. This feature can be used in many different ways by developers, especially when it comes to software releases, deployment, and distribution.

In this article, we will discuss how to use git archive in a shell bash environment. We will cover the basic syntax, some practical examples, and some common use cases.

Basic Syntax

The basic syntax of git archive command is as follows:

git archive [--format=<format>] [--output=<file>] [<commit>] [<path>...]

• --format=<format> specifies the format of the archive file, such as tar or zip. If this option is omitted, the default format is tar.
• --output=<file> specifies the filename of the output archive file. If this option is omitted, the output is written to the standard output.
• <commit> specifies the Git hash or branch/tag name that you want to create an archive of. If this option is omitted, the archive is created from the current commit.
• <path>... specifies the path(s) in the commit tree that you want to include in the archive. If this option is omitted, the entire commit tree is archived.

Examples

Example 1: Create an archive of the entire commit tree

To create an archive of the entire commit tree, you can use the following command:

git archive --format=tar --output=myarchive.tar HEAD

This command will create a tar archive file named myarchive.tar that contains all files and directories in the current branch.

Example 2: Create an archive of a specific directory

To create an archive of a specific directory, you can use the following command:

git archive --format=zip --output=myarchive.zip HEAD:path/to/my/directory

This command will create a zip archive file named myarchive.zip that contains all files and directories in the path/to/my/directory directory.

Example 3: Create an archive of a specific commit hash

To create an archive of a specific commit hash, you can use the following command:

git archive --format=tar --output=myarchive.tar b7a9d26

This command will create a tar archive file named myarchive.tar that contains all files and directories in the b7a9d26 commit.

Example 4: Create an archive of a specific tag

To create an archive of a specific tag, you can use the following command:

git archive --format=tar --output=myarchive.tar v1.0.0

This command will create a tar archive file named myarchive.tar that contains all files and directories in the v1.0.0 tag.

Conclusion

In this article, we have introduced the git archive command in the shell bash environment. We have discussed its basic syntax, shown some practical examples, and highlighted some common use cases. With these skills, you can use git archive effectively to package and distribute your software releases.