git pointer

While Git does not have a "pointer object" type, tag objects and refs serve as pointers that reference existing objects. In other words, they are simply names that point to a commit object's SHA-1 hash.

HEAD: Points to currently checked out commit (usually points to branch)

Branch names (e.g. main, dev): Mutable refs pointing to specific commits

tag: Immutable ref pointing to specific commit

ORIG_HEAD: Points to HEAD position before rebase, merge, reset

FETCH_HEAD: Points to latest commit from fetch

MERGE_HEAD: Points to merge target commit during merge conflicts

CHERRY_PICK_HEAD: Points to cherry-pick commit during conflicts

REBASE_HEAD: Points to state during rebase conflicts

git pointers

git HEAD

git tag pointer

git branch pointer

git pointer

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