Mastering Git commands is essential for efficiently managing your codebase and collaborating with other developers. This section covers the most commonly used Git commands that you will frequently use in your day-to-day development workflow.
git init
Initializes a new Git repository in your project directory. This command creates a .git directory in the root of your project.
# Initialize a new Git repository git init git clone
This command creates a copy of an existing repository and is used to obtain a working copy of a remote repository.
# Clone a repository git clone <https://github.com/user/repo.git> git add
Stages changes to be included in the next commit. This command can add individual files or all changes in the working directory.
# Stage a specific file git add path/to/file # Stage all changes git add . git commit
Records the staged changes in the repository with a descriptive message.
# Commit staged changes with a message git commit -m "Your commit message here" # Commit with a detailed multi-line message git commit git status
Displays the state of the working directory and the staging area. It shows which changes have been staged, which haven't, and which files aren't being tracked by Git.
# Check the status of the repository git status git log
Shows the commit history for the repository. It includes information like commit hash, author, date and commit message.
# View the commit history git log # View a brief history with one line per commit git log --oneline # View a graph of your commits git log --graph --oneline git diff
Shows the differences between commits, commit and working tree, etc. It helps in reviewing the changes made to the codebase.
# Show changes between working directory and staging area git diff # Show changes between staging area and last commit git diff --staged # Show changes between two commits git diff commit1 commit2 git branch
Lists all branches in the repository or creates/deletes branches.
# List all branches git branch # Create a new branch git branch new-branch # Delete a branch git branch -d branch-name git checkout
Switches branches or restores working tree files. This command is used to navigate between different branches.
# Switch to a branch git checkout branch-name # Create and switch to a new branch git checkout -b new-branch git merge
Combines changes from different branches into the current branch. This is typically used to integrate feature branches into the main branch.
# Merge a branch into the current branch git merge branch-name git pull
This command fetches changes from a remote repository and merges them into the current branch. It is used to update your local repository with changes from the remote repository.
# Pull changes from the remote repository git pull origin branch-name git push
Uploads local repository content to a remote repository. This command is used to share your changes with others.
# Push changes to the remote repository git push origin branch-name git remote
Manages the set of repositories whose branches you track. This command adds, removes, and manages connections to other repositories.
# Add a remote repository git remote add origin <https://github.com/user/repo.git> # List remote repositories git remote -v # Remove a remote repository git remote remove origin git fetch
Downloads objects and refs from another repository. This command retrieves updates from the remote repository without merging them.
# Fetch changes from the remote repository git fetch origin git reset
Resets the current branch to a specific state. This command can be used to undo changes.
# Unstage a file git reset HEAD path/to/file # Reset to a specific commit git reset --hard commit-hash git stash
This command temporarily saves changes that are not ready to be committed. It is useful for cleaning the working directory without committing changes.
# Stash changes git stash # Apply stashed changes git stash apply # List stashed changes git stash list # Apply and remove stashed changes git stash pop By familiarizing yourself with these commands, you'll be well-equipped to handle most tasks in Git, from basic operations to more advanced workflow management. These commands form the backbone of version control with Git, ensuring smooth and efficient project development.
