Refs

Learn branch and tag references.

What Are Git Refs?

Refs are named references used to access Git objects. A branch reference usually points to the latest commit on that branch. Instead of memorizing long hash values, you can use meaningful names such as main or feature.

.git/refs/
├── heads/
└── tags/

Refs allow Git to track specific points in commit history by name.

Heads and Tags References

refs/heads represents local branches, while refs/tags represents tags. A branch reference can move forward when a new commit is created. Tags are generally used to identify a specific commit, such as a release or an important point in history.

.git/refs/
├── heads/
│   └── main
└── tags/
    └── v1.0

These two reference types allow commit history to be named for different purposes.

Exercise List Local Branch References

Display local branches and the references representing them. Restrict the for-each-ref command to the refs/heads namespace.

Test yourself

In which directory under .git/refs are local branch references stored?
- objects
- hooks
- heads
- tags
Show answer

heads — <code>refs/heads</code> contains references for local branches.

The Directory for Tag References

.git/refs/
├── heads/
└── tags/____

Show answer

.git/refs/
├── heads/
└── tags/tags

Reference Types and Locations

refs/heads

Local branch references
refs/tags

Tag references
main

A branch name
v1.0

An example of a version tag

Next lesson: Summary - Git internals

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