git difference on parameter one dash and two dashes git difference on parameter one dash and two dashes unix unix

git difference on parameter one dash and two dashes


That's not really git specific. Many programs use the following convention:

  • single-letter parameter: one dash
  • multi-letter parameter: two dashes

This is handy, because it allows you to specify many single-letter parmeters at once with a single dash and all letters of the parameters you need: ls -al is equivalent to ls -a -l.

Often, one-letter parameters are the most used ones and can have a longer equivalent with two dashes: for example git add -v and git add --verbose mean the same.


Git follows the GNU-adjusted POSIX conventions for command line arguments. Short, one letter options start with a single dash, long options start with two.

Note that the linked page claims that this is the POSIX ("unix") standard, but that's not true. --option is a format pioneered by GNU.


There are alternatives for commands. You may prefer using the long version to avoid a typo :). Also the short version can be combined. Once through the command line parser, there's no difference.