<title>Fossil</title>


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<i>Simple, high-reliability, distributed software configuration management</i>
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<h3>Why Use Fossil?</h3>

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<li> [http://www.fossil-scm.org/download.html | Download]
<li> [./quickstart.wiki | Quick Start]
<li> [./build.wiki | Install]
<li> [../COPYRIGHT-BSD2.txt | License]
<li> [/timeline | Recent changes]
<li> [./faq.wiki | FAQ]
<li> [./hacker-howto.wiki | Hacker How-To]
<li> [./changes.wiki | Change Log]
<li> [./hints.wiki | Tip &amp; Hints]
<li> [./permutedindex.wiki | Documentation Index]
<li> [http://www.fossil-scm.org/schimpf-book/home | Jim Schimpf's book]
<li> Mailing list
     <ul>
     <li> [http://lists.fossil-scm.org:8080/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fossil-users | sign-up]
     <li> [http://www.mail-archive.com/fossil-users@lists.fossil-scm.org | archives]
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<center><img src="fossil3.gif"></center>
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There are plenty of open-source version control systems available on the
internet these days. What makes Fossil worthy of attention?

  1.  <b>Bug Tracking And Wiki</b> -
      In addition to doing [./concepts.wiki | distributed version control]
      like Git and Mercurial,
      Fossil also supports [./bugtheory.wiki | distributed bug tracking],
      [./wikitheory.wiki | distributed wiki], and a
      [./event.wiki | distributed blog] mechanism all in a single
      integrated package.

  2.  <b>Web Interface</b> - 
      Fossil has a built-in and easy-to-use [./webui.wiki | web interface]
      that simplifies project tracking and promotes situational awareness.
      Simply type "fossil&nbsp;ui" from within any check-out and Fossil
      automatically opens your web browser in a page that gives detailed
      [/timeline?n=100&y=ci | graphical history] and status information
      on that project.

      This entire website (except the
      [http://www.fossil-scm.org/download.html | download] page)
      is just a running instance of Fossil.  The pages you see here
      are all [./wikitheory.wiki | wiki] or
      [./embeddeddoc.wiki | embedded documentation].
      When you clone Fossil from one of its
      [./selfhost.wiki | self-hosting repositories], 
      you get more than just source code - you get this entire website.

  3.  <b>Autosync</b> -
      Fossil supports [./concepts.wiki#workflow | "autosync" mode]
      which helps to keep projects moving
      forward by reducing the amount of needless 
      [./branching.wiki | forking and merging] often
      associated with distributed projects.

  4.  <b>Self-Contained</b> -
      Fossil is a single stand-alone executable that contains everything
      needed to do configuration management.
      Installation is trivial: simply download a 
      <a href="http://www.fossil-scm.org/download.html">precompiled binary</a>
      for Linux, Mac, or Windows and put it on your $PATH.
      [./build.wiki | Easy-to-compile source code] is available for
      users on other platforms.  Fossil sources are also mostly self-contained,
      requiring only the standard C library to build.

  5.  <b>Simple Networking</b> -
      Fossil uses plain old HTTP (with
      [./quickstart.wiki#proxy | proxy support])
      for all network communications, meaning that it works fine from behind
      restrictive firewalls.  The protocol is
      [./stats.wiki | bandwidth efficient] to the point that Fossil can be
      used comfortably over a dial-up internet connection.

  6.  <b>CGI/SCGI Enabled</b> -
      No server is required to use fossil.  But a
      server does make collaboration easier.  Fossil supports four different
      yet simple [./server.wiki | server configurations].
      The most popular is a 2-line CGI script.  This is the approach
      used by the [./selfhost.wiki | self-hosting fossil repositories].

  7.  <b>Robust &amp; Reliable</b> -
      Fossil stores content using an [./fileformat.wiki | enduring file format]
      in an SQLite database so that transactions are
      atomic even if interrupted by a power loss or system crash.  Furthermore,
      automatic [./selfcheck.wiki | self-checks] verify that all aspects of
      the repository are consistent prior to each commit.  In over six years
      of operation, no work has ever been lost after having been committed to
      a Fossil repository.

<hr>
<h3>Links For Fossil Users:</h3>

  *  [./reviews.wiki | Testimonials] from satisfied fossil users and
     [./quotes.wiki | Quotes] about Fossil and other DVCSes.
  *  [./faq.wiki | FAQ]
  *  The [./concepts.wiki | concepts] behind fossil
  *  [./quickstart.wiki | Quick Start] guide to using fossil
  *  [./qandc.wiki | Questions &amp; Criticisms] directed at fossil.
  *  [./build.wiki | Compiling and Installing]
  *  Fossil supports [./embeddeddoc.wiki | embedded documentation]
     that is versioned along with project source code.
  *  Fossil uses an [./fileformat.wiki | enduring file format] that is 
     designed to be readable, searchable, and extensible by people
     not yet born.
  *  A tutorial on [./branching.wiki | branching], what it means and how
     to do it using fossil.
  *  The [./selfcheck.wiki | automatic self-check] mechanism
     helps insure project integrity.
  *  Fossil contains a [./wikitheory.wiki | built-in wiki].
  *  An [./event.wiki | Event] is a special kind of wiki page associated
     with a point in time rather than a name.
  *  [./settings.wiki | Settings] control the behaviour of fossil.
  *  [./ssl.wiki | Use SSL] to encrypt communication with the server.
  *  There is a
     [http://lists.fossil-scm.org:8080/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fossil-users | mailing list]
    (with publicly readable
     [http://www.mail-archive.com/fossil-users@lists.fossil-scm.org | archives]
     available for discussing fossil issues.
  *  [./stats.wiki | Performance statistics] taken from real-world projects
     hosted on fossil.
  *  How to [./shunning.wiki | delete content] from a fossil repository.
  *  How Fossil does [./password.wiki | password management].
  *  On-line [/help | help].
  *  Documentation on the
     [http://www.sqliteconcepts.org/THManual.pdf | TH1 Script Language] used
     to configure the ticketing subsystem.
  *  A free hosting server for Fossil repositories is available at
     [http://chiselapp.com/].
  *  How to [./server.wiki | set up a server] for your repository.
  *  Customizing the [./custom_ticket.wiki | ticket system].
  *  Methods to [./checkin_names.wiki | identify a specific check-in].
  *  [./inout.wiki | Import and export] from and to Git.
  *  [./fossil-v-git.wiki | Fossil versus Git].
  *  [./fiveminutes.wiki | Up and running in 5 minutes as a single user]
     (contributed by Gilles Ganault on 2013-01-08).
  *  [./antibot.wiki | How Fossil defends against abuse by spiders and bots].

<h3>Links For Fossil Developer:</h3>

  *  [./contribute.wiki | Contributing] code or documentation to the
     Fossil project.
  *  [./theory1.wiki | Thoughts On The Design Of Fossil].
  *  [./pop.wiki | Principles Of Operation]
  *  [./tech_overview.wiki | A Technical Overview Of Fossil].
  *  The [./fileformat.wiki | file format] used by every content
     file stored in the repository.
  *  The [./delta_format.wiki | format of deltas] used to
     efficiently store changes between file revisions.
  *  The [./delta_encoder_algorithm.wiki | encoder algorithm] used to
     efficiently generate deltas.
  *  The [./sync.wiki | synchronization protocol].
