Git Ref - CI/CD Glossary Definition

A git ref is a named pointer to a commit, stored under .git/refs/ (or in packed-refs). Branches, tags, and HEAD are all refs, and each ultimately resolves to a 40-character SHA-1 (or SHA-256) commit hash.

A git ref is a named pointer to a commit, stored under .git/refs/ (or in packed-refs). Branches, tags, and HEAD are all refs, and each ultimately resolves to a 40-character SHA-1 (or SHA-256) commit hash.

Why it matters in CI

GitHub Actions exposes the triggering ref as github.ref (for example refs/heads/main or refs/tags/v1.2.0), which workflows read to decide whether to deploy, tag, or skip a step.

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