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Git references
Use the REST API to interact with references in your Git database on GitHub Enterprise Server
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 Server.
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
.
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 commit reference. Can be a commit SHA, branch name ( |
HTTP response status codes for "List matching references"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
Code samples for "List matching references"
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/matching-refs/REF
Response
Status: 200
[
{
"ref": "refs/heads/feature-a",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlLWE=",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/feature-a",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"
}
},
{
"ref": "refs/heads/feature-b",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlLWI=",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/feature-b",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "612077ae6dffb4d2fbd8ce0cccaa58893b07b5ac",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/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".
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 commit reference. Can be a commit SHA, branch name ( |
HTTP response status codes for "Get a reference"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
404 | Resource not found |
Code samples for "Get a reference"
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/ref/REF
Response
Status: 200
{
"ref": "refs/heads/featureA",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlQQ==",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/featureA",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/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.
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 |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Create a reference"
curl -L \
-X POST \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/refs \
-d '{"ref":"refs/heads/featureA","sha":"aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"}'
Response
Status: 201
{
"ref": "refs/heads/featureA",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlQQ==",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/featureA",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"
}
}
Update a reference
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 name of the reference to update (for example, |
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 |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Update a reference"
curl -L \
-X PATCH \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/refs/REF \
-d '{"sha":"aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd","force":true}'
Response
Status: 200
{
"ref": "refs/heads/featureA",
"node_id": "MDM6UmVmcmVmcy9oZWFkcy9mZWF0dXJlQQ==",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs/heads/featureA",
"object": {
"type": "commit",
"sha": "aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/aa218f56b14c9653891f9e74264a383fa43fefbd"
}
}
Delete a reference
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 commit reference. Can be a commit SHA, branch name ( |
HTTP response status codes for "Delete a reference"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
204 | No Content |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Delete a reference"
curl -L \
-X DELETE \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/refs/REF
Response
Status: 204