include::urls.adoc[]

REMOTES[[REMOTES]]
------------------

The name of one of the following can be used instead
of a URL as `<repository>` argument:

* a remote in the Git configuration file: `$GIT_DIR/config`,
* a file in the `$GIT_DIR/remotes` directory, or
* a file in the `$GIT_DIR/branches` directory.

All of these also allow you to omit the refspec from the command line
because they each contain a refspec which git will use by default.

Named remote in configuration file
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can choose to provide the name of a remote which you had previously
configured using linkgit:git-remote[1], linkgit:git-config[1]
or even by a manual edit to the `$GIT_DIR/config` file.  The URL of
this remote will be used to access the repository.  The refspec
of this remote will be used by default when you do
not provide a refspec on the command line.  The entry in the
config file would appear like this:

------------
	[remote "<name>"]
		url = <URL>
		pushurl = <pushurl>
		push = <refspec>
		fetch = <refspec>
------------

The `<pushurl>` is used for pushes only. It is optional and defaults
to `<URL>`. Pushing to a remote affects all defined pushurls or all
defined urls if no pushurls are defined. Fetch, however, will only
fetch from the first defined url if multiple urls are defined.

Named file in `$GIT_DIR/remotes`
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can choose to provide the name of a
file in `$GIT_DIR/remotes`.  The URL
in this file will be used to access the repository.  The refspec
in this file will be used as default when you do not
provide a refspec on the command line.  This file should have the
following format:

------------
	URL: one of the above URL formats
	Push: <refspec>
	Pull: <refspec>

------------

`Push:` lines are used by 'git push' and
`Pull:` lines are used by 'git pull' and 'git fetch'.
Multiple `Push:` and `Pull:` lines may
be specified for additional branch mappings.

Named file in `$GIT_DIR/branches`
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can choose to provide the name of a
file in `$GIT_DIR/branches`.
The URL in this file will be used to access the repository.
This file should have the following format:


------------
	<URL>#<head>
------------

`<URL>` is required; `#<head>` is optional.

Depending on the operation, git will use one of the following
refspecs, if you don't provide one on the command line.
`<branch>` is the name of this file in `$GIT_DIR/branches` and
`<head>` defaults to `master`.

git fetch uses:

------------
	refs/heads/<head>:refs/heads/<branch>
------------

git push uses:

------------
	HEAD:refs/heads/<head>
------------