What Is Fossil?

Fossil is a simple, high-reliability, distributed software configuration management system with these advanced features: 1. Integrated Bug Tracking, Wiki, Forum, and Technotes - In addition to doing [./concepts.wiki | distributed version control] like Git and Mercurial, Fossil also supports [./bugtheory.wiki | bug tracking], [./wikitheory.wiki | wiki], [./forum.wiki | forum], and [./event.wiki | technotes]. 2. Built-in Web Interface - Fossil has a built-in, [https://fossil-scm.org/skins/index.html | themeable], and intuitive [./webui.wiki | web interface] with a rich variety of information pages ([./webpage-ex.md|examples]) promoting situational awareness.

This entire website is just a running instance of Fossil. The pages you see here are all [./wikitheory.wiki | wiki] or [./embeddeddoc.wiki | embedded documentation] or (in the case of the [/uv/download.html|download] page) [./unvers.wiki | unversioned files]. 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. Self-Contained - Fossil is a single self-contained stand-alone executable. To install, simply download a [/uv/download.html | precompiled binary] for Linux, Mac, or Windows and put it on your $PATH. [./build.wiki | Easy-to-compile source code] is also available. 4. Simple Networking - No custom protocols or TCP ports. Fossil uses ordinary HTTP (or HTTPS or SSH) for network communications, so it works fine from behind restrictive firewalls, including [./quickstart.wiki#proxy|proxies]. The protocol is [./stats.wiki | bandwidth efficient] to the point that Fossil can be used comfortably over dial-up or over the exceedingly slow Wifi on airliners. 5. CGI/SCGI Enabled - No server is required, but if you want to set one up, Fossil supports four easy [./server.wiki | server configurations]. 6. Autosync - 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. 7. Robust & Reliable - 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. Automatic [./selfcheck.wiki | self-checks] verify that all aspects of the repository are consistent prior to each commit. 8. Free and Open-Source - Uses the [../COPYRIGHT-BSD2.txt|2-clause BSD license].


Links For Fossil Users:

* [./permutedindex.html | Documentation index] with [/search?c=d | full text search]. * [./reviews.wiki | Testimonials] from satisfied Fossil users and [./quotes.wiki | Quotes] about Fossil and other DVCSes. * [./faq.wiki | Frequently Asked Questions] * The [./concepts.wiki | concepts] behind Fossil. [./whyusefossil.wiki#definitions | Another viewpoint]. * [./quickstart.wiki | Quick Start] guide to using Fossil. * [./qandc.wiki | Questions & 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 scripting language], used to customize [./custom_ticket.wiki | ticketing], and several other subsystems, including [./customskin.md | theming]. * List of [./th1.md | TH1 commands provided by Fossil itself] that expose its key functionality to TH1 scripts. * List of [./th1-hooks.md | TH1 hooks exposed by Fossil] that enable customization of commands and web pages. * 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].

Links For Fossil Developers:

* [./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].