REST API endpoints for Git references
Use the REST API to interact with references in your Git database on GitHub Enterprise Cloud
About Git references
A Git reference (git ref
) is a file that contains a Git commit SHA-1 hash. When referring to a Git commit, you can use the Git reference, which is an easy-to-remember name, rather than the hash. The Git reference can be rewritten to point to a new commit. A branch is a Git reference that stores the new Git commit hash. These endpoints allow you to read and write references to your Git database on GitHub Enterprise Cloud.
List matching references
Returns an array of references from your Git database that match the supplied name. The :ref
in the URL must be formatted as heads/<branch name>
for branches and tags/<tag name>
for tags. If the :ref
doesn't exist in the repository, but existing refs start with :ref
, they will be returned as an array.
When you use this endpoint without providing a :ref
, it will return an array of all the references from your Git database, including notes and stashes if they exist on the server. Anything in the namespace is returned, not just heads
and tags
.
Note
You need to explicitly request a pull request to trigger a test merge commit, which checks the mergeability of pull requests. For more information, see "Checking mergeability of pull requests".
If you request matching references for a branch named feature
but the branch feature
doesn't exist, the response can still include other matching head refs that start with the word feature
, such as featureA
and featureB
.
Fine-grained access tokens for "List matching references"
This endpoint works with the following fine-grained token types:
- GitHub App user access tokens
- GitHub App installation access tokens
- Fine-grained personal access tokens
The fine-grained token must have the following permission set:
- "Contents" repository permissions (read)
This endpoint can be used without authentication or the aforementioned permissions if only public resources are requested.
Parameters for "List matching references"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
ref string RequiredThe Git reference. For more information, see "Git References" in the Git documentation. |
HTTP response status codes for "List matching references"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
409 | Conflict |
Code samples for "List matching references"
Request example
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
-H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/matching-refs/REF
Response
Status: 200
[
{
"ref": "refs/heads/feature-a",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlLWE=",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/feature-a",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"
}
},
{
"ref": "refs/heads/feature-b",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlLWI=",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/feature-b",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "612077ae6dffb4d2fbd8ce0cccaa58893b07b5ac",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/612077ae6dffb4d2fbd8ce0cccaa58893b07b5ac"
}
}
]
Get a reference
Returns a single reference from your Git database. The :ref
in the URL must be formatted as heads/<branch name>
for branches and tags/<tag name>
for tags. If the :ref
doesn't match an existing ref, a 404
is returned.
Note
You need to explicitly request a pull request to trigger a test merge commit, which checks the mergeability of pull requests. For more information, see "Checking mergeability of pull requests".
Fine-grained access tokens for "Get a reference"
This endpoint works with the following fine-grained token types:
- GitHub App user access tokens
- GitHub App installation access tokens
- Fine-grained personal access tokens
The fine-grained token must have the following permission set:
- "Contents" repository permissions (read)
This endpoint can be used without authentication or the aforementioned permissions if only public resources are requested.
Parameters for "Get a reference"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
ref string RequiredThe Git reference. For more information, see "Git References" in the Git documentation. |
HTTP response status codes for "Get a reference"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
404 | Resource not found |
409 | Conflict |
Code samples for "Get a reference"
Request example
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
-H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/ref/REF
Response
Status: 200
{
"ref": "refs/heads/featureA",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlQQ==",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/featureA",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"
}
}
Create a reference
Creates a reference for your repository. You are unable to create new references for empty repositories, even if the commit SHA-1 hash used exists. Empty repositories are repositories without branches.
Fine-grained access tokens for "Create a reference"
This endpoint works with the following fine-grained token types:
- GitHub App user access tokens
- GitHub App installation access tokens
- Fine-grained personal access tokens
The fine-grained token must have at least one of the following permission sets:
- "Contents" repository permissions (write)
- "Contents" repository permissions (write) and "Workflows" repository permissions (write)
Parameters for "Create a reference"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
ref string RequiredThe name of the fully qualified reference (ie: |
sha string RequiredThe SHA1 value for this reference. |
HTTP response status codes for "Create a reference"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
201 | Created |
409 | Conflict |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Create a reference"
Request example
curl -L \
-X POST \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
-H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/refs \
-d '{"ref":"refs/heads/featureA","sha":"aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"}'
Response
Status: 201
{
"ref": "refs/heads/featureA",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlQQ==",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/featureA",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"
}
}
Update a reference
Updates the provided reference to point to a new SHA. For more information, see "Git References" in the Git documentation.
Fine-grained access tokens for "Update a reference"
This endpoint works with the following fine-grained token types:
- GitHub App user access tokens
- GitHub App installation access tokens
- Fine-grained personal access tokens
The fine-grained token must have at least one of the following permission sets:
- "Contents" repository permissions (write)
- "Contents" repository permissions (write) and "Workflows" repository permissions (write)
Parameters for "Update a reference"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
ref string RequiredThe Git reference. For more information, see "Git References" in the Git documentation. |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
sha string RequiredThe SHA1 value to set this reference to |
force boolean Indicates whether to force the update or to make sure the update is a fast-forward update. Leaving this out or setting it to Default: |
HTTP response status codes for "Update a reference"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
409 | Conflict |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Update a reference"
Request example
curl -L \
-X PATCH \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
-H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/refs/REF \
-d '{"sha":"aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd","force":true}'
Response
Status: 200
{
"ref": "refs/heads/featureA",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlQQ==",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/featureA",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd",
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"
}
}
Delete a reference
Deletes the provided reference.
Fine-grained access tokens for "Delete a reference"
This endpoint works with the following fine-grained token types:
- GitHub App user access tokens
- GitHub App installation access tokens
- Fine-grained personal access tokens
The fine-grained token must have the following permission set:
- "Contents" repository permissions (write)
Parameters for "Delete a reference"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
ref string RequiredThe Git reference. For more information, see "Git References" in the Git documentation. |
HTTP response status codes for "Delete a reference"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
204 | No Content |
409 | Conflict |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Delete a reference"
Request example
curl -L \
-X DELETE \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
-H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/refs/REF
Response
Status: 204