{"id":677,"date":"2013-09-30T18:39:33","date_gmt":"2013-09-30T14:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prgmr.io\/?p=677"},"modified":"2013-10-03T06:06:16","modified_gmt":"2013-10-03T02:06:16","slug":"git-push-default","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/coding\/git-push-default\/","title":{"rendered":"Git push default &#8211; difference between simple, matching, current, etc."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whenever I&#8217;d issue a <code>git push<\/code> without specifying the remote repository or branch, expecting it to just pick up the default remote repository and push to the remote branch with the same name as the current local branch, I get the following message:<\/p>\n<pre class=\"lang:default decode:true \" >\r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nwarning: push.default is unset; its implicit value is changing in\r\nGit 2.0 from 'matching' to 'simple'. To squelch this message\r\nand maintain the current behavior after the default changes, use:\r\n\r\n  git config --global push.default matching\r\n\r\nTo squelch this message and adopt the new behavior now, use:\r\n\r\n  git config --global push.default simple\r\n\r\nSee 'git help config' and search for 'push.default' for further information.\r\n(the 'simple' mode was introduced in Git 1.7.11. Use the similar mode\r\n'current' instead of 'simple' if you sometimes use older versions of Git)\r\n<\/pre>\n<p>Usually I&#8217;d ignore the message and go ahead anyways, but today I decided to explore further. <\/p>\n<p>So, first up: what are these two behavior options <code>matching<\/code> and <code>simple<\/code>? From the <code>git-config<\/code> <a href=\"http:\/\/git-scm.com\/docs\/git-config\" target=\"_blank\">manpage<\/a> I understand there are five such options:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><code>nothing<\/code>: If you don&#8217;t specify the remote, do nothing.\n<pre class=\"lang:default decode:true \" >\r\nPS&gt; git config --global push.default nothing\r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nfatal: You didn't specify any refspecs to push, and push.default is \"nothing\".\r\n<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<li><code>current<\/code>: If you don&#8217;t specify the remote, push the current branch to a branch with the same name on the remote end. If a branch of the same name doesn&#8217;t exist at the remote end, create one.\n<pre class=\"lang:default decode:true \" >\r\nPS&gt; git config --global push.default current\r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nEverything up-to-date\r\n<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<li><code>upstream<\/code>: If you don&#8217;t specify the remote, push the current branch to the branch you have designated as upstream. Note: this is similar to <code>current<\/code> just that the remote branch isn&#8217;t chosen based on one with the same name, it is chosen based on what you have set as the upstream branch. This is useful when the remote branch name is not the same as the local branch name.\n<p>How do you set a branch as upstream? Use <code>git branch --set-upstream-to<\/code>. (Note: <code>--set-upstream<\/code> too works but is deprecated. You may also use <code>-u<\/code> instead of <code>--set-upstream-to<\/code>). <\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s an example. I have three branches for my repository: 0.1, master, and testing. All three branches exist both locally and remotely. <\/p>\n<pre class=\"lang:default decode:true \" >\r\n# view the local and remote branches\r\nPS&gt; git remote show origin\r\n\r\n* remote origin\r\n  Fetch URL: git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n  Push  URL: git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n  HEAD branch (remote HEAD is ambiguous, may be one of the following):\r\n    0.1\r\n    master\r\n  Remote branches:\r\n    0.1     tracked\r\n    master  tracked\r\n    testing tracked\r\n  Local branch configured for 'git pull':\r\n    master merges with remote master\r\n  Local refs configured for 'git push':\r\n    0.1     pushes to 0.1     (up to date)\r\n    master  pushes to master  (up to date)\r\n    testing pushes to testing (up to date)\r\n<\/pre>\n<p>Next I change the push policy to <code>upstream<\/code> and &#8230;<\/p>\n<pre class=\"lang:default decode:true \" >\r\nPS&gt; git config --global push.default upstream\r\n\r\n# create a new branch called testing2 and switch to it\r\nPS&gt; git branch testing2\r\nPS&gt; git checkout testing2\r\nSwitched to branch 'testing2'\r\nPS&gt; git branch\r\n  0.1\r\n  master\r\n  testing\r\n* testing2\r\n\r\n# try pushing this branch to the remote end - note that it fails\r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nfatal: The current branch testing2 has no upstream branch.\r\nTo push the current branch and set the remote as upstream, use\r\n\r\n    git push --set-upstream origin testing2\r\n\r\n# if the remote branch name is explicitly specified, a new branch is created and pushed to\r\nPS&gt; git push origin testing2\r\nTotal 0 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0)\r\nTo git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n * [new branch]      testing2 -&gt; testing2\r\n\r\n# delete the remote branch so I can try one more thing\r\nPS&gt; git push origin :testing2\r\nTo git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n - [deleted]         testing2\r\n\r\n# set the upstream via git branch - note that it fails as the remote branch does not exist\r\nPS&gt; git branch --set-upstream-to origin\/testing2\r\nerror: the requested upstream branch 'origin\/testing2' does not exist\r\nhint:\r\nhint: If you are planning on basing your work on an upstream\r\nhint: branch that already exists at the remote, you may need to\r\nhint: run \"git fetch\" to retrieve it.\r\nhint:\r\nhint: If you are planning to push out a new local branch that\r\nhint: will track its remote counterpart, you may want to use\r\nhint: \"git push -u\" to set the upstream config as you push.\r\n\r\n# let's create a new branch called nottesting2 and set that as the upstream\r\nPS&gt; git checkout -b nottesting2\r\nSwitched to a new branch 'nottesting2'\r\nPS&gt; git push origin nottesting2\r\nTotal 0 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0)\r\nTo git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n * [new branch]      nottesting2 -&gt; nottesting2\r\n\r\n# now switch to testing2 and set nottesting2 as its upstream\r\nPS&gt; git branch -u origin\/nottesting2\r\nBranch testing2 set up to track remote branch nottesting2 from origin.\r\n\r\n# and do a git push with no remote specified and notice how it works without a fuss!\r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nEnter passphrase for key '\/c\/Users\/rakhesh\/.ssh\/id_rsa':\r\nEverything up-to-date\r\n\r\n# just to compare \"matching\" with \"current\" let's change the push policy to \"current\" and see what happens\r\nPS&gt; git config --global push.default current\r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nTotal 0 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0)\r\nTo git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n * [new branch]      HEAD -&gt; testing2\r\n<\/pre>\n<p>The last example makes the difference between <code>current<\/code> and <code>upstream<\/code> very clear. If the push policy is set to <code>current<\/code> it always pushes to a branch of the same name on the remote end, and if such a branch doesn&#8217;t exist it creates one. This makes it impossible to have your local branch point to a differently named remote branch and issue <code>git push<\/code> without any further instructions and expect it to work. If that&#8217;s the behavior you want, be sure to set the push policy as <code>upstream<\/code>. <\/p>\n<p>As an aside: I found <a href=\"http:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/a\/6244487\/2610230\" target=\"_blank\">this<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/a\/11012861\" target=\"_blank\">this<\/a> &#8211; two useful posts from StackOverflow to understand the concept of an upstream remote. These in turn helped me understand why the push policy is called <code>upstream<\/code> and the scenarios where one might require such a policy. This <a href=\"https:\/\/help.github.com\/articles\/fork-a-repo\" target=\"_blank\">GitHub help page<\/a> too is worth a read.\n<\/li>\n<li><code>simple<\/code>: If you don&#8217;t specify the remote, push the current branch to a branch with the same name on the remote end. However, if a branch of the same name doesn&#8217;t exist at the remote end, a new one won&#8217;t be created. Thus <code>simple<\/code> is a cross between <code>current<\/code> and <code>upstream<\/code> &#8211; unlike <code>current<\/code> it does not create a new branch and unlike <code>upstream<\/code> it cannot push to a branch with a different name.\n<pre class=\"lang:default decode:true \" >\r\nPS&gt; git config --global push.default simple\r\n\r\n# create a new branch and switch to it\r\nPS&gt; git checkout -b testing2\r\nSwitched to a new branch 'testing2'\r\n\r\n# try pushing this branch to the remote end - note that it fails.\r\n# this behaviour is similar to \"upstream\" and unlike \"current\". a new remote branch isn't created.\r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nfatal: The current branch testing2 has no upstream branch.\r\nTo push the current branch and set the remote as upstream, use\r\n\r\n    git push --set-upstream origin testing2\r\n\r\n# create a new branch locally and push to remote\r\nPS&gt; git checkout -b nottesting2\r\nSwitched to a new branch 'nottesting2'\r\nPS&gt; git push origin nottesting2\r\nTotal 0 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0)\r\nTo git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n * [new branch]      nottesting2 -&gt; nottesting2\r\n\r\n# switch to the testing2 and set nottesting2 as its upstream\r\nPS&gt; git checkout testing2\r\nSwitched to branch 'testing2'\r\nPS&gt; git branch -u origin\/nottesting2\r\nBranch testing2 set up to track remote branch nottesting2 from origin.\r\n\r\n# try pushing - and note that again it fails. \r\n# this is similar to \"current\" and unlike \"upstream\". the remote branch *must* have the same name as local.\r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nfatal: The upstream branch of your current branch does not match\r\nthe name of your current branch.  To push to the upstream branch\r\non the remote, use\r\n\r\n    git push origin HEAD:nottesting2\r\n\r\nTo push to the branch of the same name on the remote, use\r\n\r\n    git push origin testing2\r\n<\/pre>\n<p>Starting from Git 2.0 the <code>simple<\/code> will be the default for <code>git push<\/code>. This is the safest option and so considered beginner friendly.\n<\/li>\n<li><code>matching<\/code>: If you don&#8217;t specify the remote, push all branches having the same name on both ends.\n<p>If a branch of the same name doesn&#8217;t exist at the remote end, create one. <\/p>\n<pre class=\"lang:default decode:true \" >\r\nPS&gt; git config --global push.default matching\r\n\r\n# create a new local branch\r\nPS&gt; git checkout -b testing2\r\nSwitched to a new branch 'testing2'\r\n\r\n# try pushing this branch and note that it succeeds. \r\n# however, note that a new branch called testing2 is not created remotely. \r\n# all that's happened is that the existing local branches with same name on the remote end were pushed. \r\nPS&gt; git push\r\nEverything up-to-date\r\nPS&gt; git remote show origin\r\n* remote origin\r\n  Fetch URL: git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n  Push  URL: git@github.com:rakheshster\/PS-AppMgmt.git\r\n  HEAD branch (remote HEAD is ambiguous, may be one of the following):\r\n    0.1\r\n    master\r\n  Remote branches:\r\n    0.1     tracked\r\n    master  tracked\r\n    testing tracked\r\n  Local branch configured for 'git pull':\r\n    master merges with remote master\r\n  Local refs configured for 'git push':\r\n    0.1     pushes to 0.1     (up to date)\r\n    master  pushes to master  (up to date)\r\n    testing pushes to testing (up to date)\r\n<\/pre>\n<p>Currently <code>matching<\/code> is the default <code>git push<\/code> policy but starting with Git 2.0 it will be replaced with <code>simple<\/code>.\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Good stuff! I&#8217;ve now set my default to <code>simple<\/code>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whenever I&#8217;d issue a git push without specifying the remote repository or branch, expecting it to just pick up the default remote repository and push to the remote branch with the same name as the current local branch, I get the following message: PS&gt; git push warning: push.default is unset; its implicit value is changing &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/coding\/git-push-default\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Git push default &#8211; difference between simple, matching, current, etc.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[102],"tags":[103],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rakhesh.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}