metadata
title: REST API endpoints for Git references
shortTitle: References
intro: >-
Use the REST API to interact with references in your Git database on {% data
variables.product.github %}
versions:
fpt: '*'
ghec: '*'
ghes: '*'
topics:
- API
allowTitleToDifferFromFilename: true
autogenerated: rest
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 {% data variables.product.github %}.