Git Commands Cheatsheet: Your Ultimate Guide

Git is an essential tool for developers, enabling efficient version control and collaboration. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, having a handy cheatsheet can save you time and streamline your workflow. Here’s a comprehensive list of Git commands that you can refer to whenever you need.

Basic Commands

1. Initialize a Repository

git init

Creates a new Git repository.

2. Clone a Repository

git clone <repository-url>

Copies an existing Git repository.

3. Check Repository Status

git status

Displays the state of the working directory and staging area.

Working with Branches

4. Create a New Branch

git branch <branch-name>

Creates a new branch.

5. Switch to a Branch

git checkout <branch-name>

Switches to the specified branch.

6. Create and Switch to a New Branch

git checkout -b <branch-name>

Creates and switches to a new branch.

7. List All Branches

git branch

Lists all branches in the repository.

Making Changes

8. Add Changes to Staging Area

git add <file-name>

Adds a file to the staging area.

9. Commit Changes

git commit -m "commit message"

Records changes to the repository with a message.

10. Push Changes to Remote Repository

git push origin <branch-name>

Uploads local branch commits to the remote repository.

Merging and Rebasing

11. Merge Branches

git merge <branch-name>

Merges the specified branch into the current branch.

12. Rebase Branch

git rebase <branch-name>

Reapplies commits on top of another base tip.

Viewing History

13. View Commit History

git log

Displays the commit history.

14. View a Specific Commit

git show <commit-hash>

Shows changes made in a specific commit.

Undoing Changes

15. Unstage a File

git reset <file-name>

Removes a file from the staging area.

16. Revert a Commit

git revert <commit-hash>

Creates a new commit that undoes changes made by a previous commit.

17. Reset to a Previous Commit

git reset --hard <commit-hash>

Resets the repository to a specific commit, discarding all changes after it.

Working with Remotes

18. Add a Remote Repository

git remote add <name> <url>

Adds a new remote repository.

19. Fetch Changes from Remote

git fetch <remote-name>

Downloads objects and refs from another repository.

20. Pull Changes from Remote

git pull <remote-name> <branch-name>

Fetches and integrates changes from a remote repository.

Conclusion

This cheatsheet covers the most commonly used Git commands, but Git is a powerful tool with many more capabilities. Keep exploring and practicing to become more proficient.

If as a beginner, you want to understand, how can we upload our repository in Github with basic commands, watch this video.