Git Commands

Quick reference for common git operations.

Repository Setup

git init

• git init - init new repo

git clone

• git clone <url> - clone repo

Branch Management

git branch

• git branch - list local branches
• git branch -a - list all (local/remote) branches (-a = all)
• git branch -d <name> - safe delete, only if merged (-d = delete)
  • use when: cleaning up after PR merged
• git branch -D <name> - force delete, even if unmerged (-D = force delete)
  • use when: abandoning work you don’t need

git checkout

• git checkout <branch> - switch branch
• git checkout -b <name> - create + switch (-b = branch)
• git checkout -b <name> origin/<name> - create from remote
  • use when: checking out a branch that exists on remote but not locally

Staging & Committing

git status

• git status - show working tree status
• git status -s - short format (-s = short)

git add

• git add <file> - stage file
• git add . - stage all
  • includes untracked (new) files

git commit

• git commit -m "msg" - commit with message (-m = message)
• git commit --amend - amend last commit
  • fix message or add forgotten files
  • don’t use on already pushed commits

git restore

• git restore --staged <file> - unstage file
• git restore <file> - discard changes
  • warning: permanently deletes uncommitted changes

Remote Operations

git remote

• git remote -v - list remotes (-v = verbose)
• git remote add <name> <url> - add remote
• git remote remove <name> - remove remote
• git remote set-url <name> <url> - change URL

git fetch

• git fetch - fetch from remote
  • check what’s new, doesn’t merge
  • safe to run anytime
• git fetch --prune - fetch + remove stale branches
  • use when: cleaning up after PRs merged

git pull

• git pull origin <branch> - fetch + merge from specific branch
  • can create merge commits
• git pull --rebase origin <branch> - fetch + rebase (cleaner linear history)
  • puts your local commits on top of remote commits
  • avoids unnecessary merge commits
  • use when: syncing with main before pushing

git push

• git push -u origin <branch> - push + set upstream (-u = upstream)
  • use when: first push of a new branch
  • after this, just git push works
• git push origin --delete <name> - delete remote branch

Stashing

git stash

• git stash - stash changes
  • temporarily save work without committing
  • use when: need to switch branches but not ready to commit
• git stash push -m "msg" - stash with message (-m = message)
• git stash -u - include untracked (-u = untracked)
• git stash pop - apply + remove
  • use when: returning to stashed work
• git stash apply - apply (keep in list)
  • use when: applying same stash to multiple branches
• git stash list - list stashes
• git stash drop - remove latest
• git stash clear - remove all

History & Diffs

git log

• git log - full history
• git log --oneline - compact
• git log --oneline --graph --all - graph all branches
  • visualize branch structure
• git log -n 5 - last 5 commits (-n = number)
• git log --author="name" - by author
• git log -- <file> - for specific file

git diff

• git diff - unstaged changes
• git diff --staged - staged changes
  • see what will be committed
• git diff <commit> - since commit
• git diff <b1>..<b2> - between branches

git show

• git show <commit> - commit details

Merging & Rebasing

git merge

• git merge <branch> - merge into current
• git merge --no-ff <branch> - merge with commit (--no-ff = no fast-forward)
  • preserves branch history in graph
• git merge --squash <branch> - squash merge
  • combines all commits into one
  • use when: cleaning up messy feature branch history
• git merge --abort - abort merge

git rebase

• git rebase <branch> - rebase onto branch
  • rewrites history, use on local branches only
• git rebase --continue - continue after conflict
• git rebase --abort - abort rebase

git cherry-pick

• git cherry-pick <commit> - apply commit
  • use when: need specific commit from another branch

Undoing Changes

git reset

• git reset --soft HEAD~1 - undo commit, keep staged (--soft = keep staged)
  • use when: want to edit commit before recommitting
• git reset --mixed HEAD~1 - undo commit, unstage (--mixed = unstage)
  • use when: want to restage selectively
• git reset --hard HEAD~1 - undo commit, discard all (--hard = discard all)
  • warning: permanently deletes changes
• git reset --hard origin/main - reset to remote
  • use when: local is messed up, want to match remote exactly

git revert

• git revert <commit> - create undo commit
  • safe for pushed commits (doesn’t rewrite history)
• git revert --no-commit <commit> - revert (no commit)

Tags

git tag

• git tag - list tags
• git tag <name> - lightweight tag
• git tag -a <name> -m "msg" - annotated tag (-a = annotated, -m = message)
  • use for releases (includes metadata)
• git tag -d <name> - delete local (-d = delete)
• git push origin <tag> - push tag
• git push --tags - push all tags
• git push origin --delete <tag> - delete remote tag

Worktree

git worktree

• git worktree add <path> <branch> - create new worktree for branch
  • work on multiple branches simultaneously
  • use when: need to check another branch without stashing
• git worktree list - list all worktrees
• git worktree remove <path> - remove worktree

Configuration

git config

• git config --global user.name "Name" - set username
• git config --global user.email "email" - set email
• git config --global init.defaultBranch main - set default branch
• git config --list - list settings

Useful Aliases

• git config --global alias.st status
• git config --global alias.co checkout
• git config --global alias.br branch
• git config --global alias.ci commit
• git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --all"