Commands

Common Git Commands¶

This reference guide covers the most frequently used Git commands organized by category for quick lookup.

1. Configuration¶

git config¶

Configure Git settings at global, system, or repository level.

Syntax:

git config [--global|--system|--local] <key> <value>

Common Options: - --global - Apply to all repositories for the current user - --local - Apply to current repository only (default) - --system - Apply system-wide for all users - --list - List all configuration settings - --unset - Remove a configuration value

Examples:

# Set user information
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

# Set default editor
git config --global core.editor "vim"

# Enable color output
git config --global color.ui auto

# List all settings
git config --list

# View specific setting
git config user.name

2. Repository Creation & Cloning¶

git init¶

Create a new Git repository.

Syntax:

git init [directory]

Examples:

# Initialize repository in current directory
git init

# Create and initialize new directory
git init my-project

# Initialize bare repository (for servers)
git init --bare

git clone¶

Copy an existing repository.

Syntax:

git clone <repository-url> [directory]

Common Options: - --branch <name> - Clone specific branch - --depth <n> - Shallow clone with limited history - --single-branch - Clone only one branch

Examples:

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone to specific directory
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git my-folder

# Clone specific branch
git clone --branch develop https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Shallow clone (last 10 commits)
git clone --depth 10 https://github.com/user/repo.git

3. Basic Workflow¶

git status¶

Show working tree status.

Syntax:

git status [options]

Common Options: - -s or --short - Compact output format - -b or --branch - Show branch information

Examples:

# Full status
git status

# Short format
git status -s

# Show branch and tracking info
git status -sb

git add¶

Add files to staging area.

Syntax:

git add <pathspec>

Common Options: - -A or --all - Add all changes (new, modified, deleted) - -u or --update - Add modified and deleted files only - -p or --patch - Interactive staging - . - Add all in current directory

Examples:

# Add specific file
git add filename.txt

# Add all files in directory
git add src/

# Add all changes
git add -A
git add .

# Interactive staging
git add -p

# Add files by pattern
git add *.js

git commit¶

Record changes to repository.

Syntax:

git commit [options]

Common Options: - -m <message> - Commit message inline - -a or --all - Automatically stage modified/deleted files - --amend - Modify the last commit - --no-edit - Keep existing commit message (with --amend) - -v or --verbose - Show diff in commit message editor

Examples:

# Commit with message
git commit -m "Add new feature"

# Commit all tracked changes
git commit -am "Update documentation"

# Amend last commit
git commit --amend -m "Updated commit message"

# Amend without changing message
git commit --amend --no-edit

# Multi-line commit message
git commit -m "Short summary" -m "Detailed description"

git diff¶

Show changes between commits, working tree, etc.

Syntax:

git diff [options] [<commit>] [--] [<path>]

Common Options: - --staged or --cached - Show staged changes - --name-only - Show only file names - --stat - Show statistics

Examples:

# Show unstaged changes
git diff

# Show staged changes
git diff --staged

# Compare commits
git diff HEAD~1 HEAD

# Compare branches
git diff main..feature-branch

# Show only filenames
git diff --name-only

# Statistics summary
git diff --stat

4. Branching¶

git branch¶

List, create, or delete branches.

Syntax:

git branch [options] [branch-name]

Common Options: - -a or --all - List all branches (local and remote) - -r or --remotes - List remote branches - -d or --delete - Delete branch (safe) - -D - Force delete branch - -m or --move - Rename branch - -v or --verbose - Show last commit on each branch

Examples:

# List local branches
git branch

# List all branches
git branch -a

# Create new branch
git branch feature-name

# Delete merged branch
git branch -d old-feature

# Force delete branch
git branch -D experimental

# Rename branch
git branch -m old-name new-name

# Show last commit per branch
git branch -v

git checkout¶

Switch branches or restore files.

Syntax:

git checkout <branch-or-commit>
git checkout [options] <file>

Common Options: - -b - Create and switch to new branch - - - Switch to previous branch - --track - Set up tracking with remote branch

Examples:

# Switch to branch
git checkout main

# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b feature-name

# Switch to previous branch
git checkout -

# Checkout specific commit
git checkout a1b2c3d

# Restore file from last commit
git checkout -- filename.txt

# Create branch from specific commit
git checkout -b hotfix a1b2c3d

git switch¶

Switch branches (modern alternative to checkout).

Syntax:

git switch <branch>

Common Options: - -c or --create - Create and switch to new branch - - - Switch to previous branch

Examples:

# Switch to branch
git switch main

# Create and switch to new branch
git switch -c feature-name

# Switch to previous branch
git switch -

5. Merging¶

git merge¶

Join two or more development histories.

Syntax:

git merge <branch>

Common Options: - --no-ff - Create merge commit even if fast-forward - --ff-only - Refuse merge unless fast-forward - --squash - Squash commits into one - --abort - Abort merge in case of conflicts - -m <message> - Set merge commit message

Examples:

# Merge branch into current branch
git merge feature-branch

# Merge with no fast-forward
git merge --no-ff feature-branch

# Squash merge
git merge --squash feature-branch

# Abort merge due to conflicts
git merge --abort

# Merge with custom message
git merge -m "Merge feature X" feature-branch

git rebase¶

Reapply commits on top of another base.

Syntax:

git rebase <branch>

Common Options: - -i or --interactive - Interactive rebase - --continue - Continue after resolving conflicts - --abort - Abort rebase - --skip - Skip current commit

Examples:

# Rebase current branch onto main
git rebase main

# Interactive rebase (last 3 commits)
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# Continue after resolving conflicts
git rebase --continue

# Abort rebase
git rebase --abort

6. Remote Repositories¶

git remote¶

Manage remote repository connections.

Syntax:

git remote [options] [name] [url]

Common Options: - -v or --verbose - Show URLs - add - Add remote repository - remove or rm - Remove remote - rename - Rename remote - set-url - Change remote URL

Examples:

# List remotes
git remote

# Show remote URLs
git remote -v

# Add remote
git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Remove remote
git remote remove origin

# Rename remote
git remote rename origin upstream

# Change remote URL
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/user/new-repo.git

git fetch¶

Download objects and refs from remote.

Syntax:

git fetch [remote] [branch]

Common Options: - --all - Fetch all remotes - --prune - Remove deleted remote branches - --tags - Fetch all tags

Examples:

# Fetch from origin
git fetch origin

# Fetch all remotes
git fetch --all

# Fetch and prune
git fetch --prune

# Fetch specific branch
git fetch origin main

# Fetch with tags
git fetch --tags

git pull¶

Fetch and integrate with another repository.

Syntax:

git pull [remote] [branch]

Common Options: - --rebase - Rebase instead of merge - --no-rebase - Merge (default) - --ff-only - Only fast-forward

Examples:

# Pull from tracked branch
git pull

# Pull from specific remote/branch
git pull origin main

# Pull with rebase
git pull --rebase

# Pull only if fast-forward
git pull --ff-only

git push¶

Update remote refs along with associated objects.

Syntax:

git push [remote] [branch]

Common Options: - -u or --set-upstream - Set tracking relationship - --all - Push all branches - --tags - Push tags - --force or -f - Force push (dangerous!) - --force-with-lease - Safer force push - --delete - Delete remote branch

Examples:

# Push to tracked branch
git push

# Push and set upstream
git push -u origin main

# Push specific branch
git push origin feature-branch

# Push all branches
git push --all

# Push tags
git push --tags

# Delete remote branch
git push origin --delete old-branch

# Force push (use cautiously!)
git push --force-with-lease

7. Viewing History¶

git log¶

Show commit logs.

Syntax:

git log [options]

Common Options: - --oneline - Compact one-line format - --graph - ASCII graph of branch structure - --all - Show all branches - -n <number> - Limit number of commits - --since=<date> - Show commits after date - --until=<date> - Show commits before date - --author=<pattern> - Filter by author - --grep=<pattern> - Search commit messages - -p or --patch - Show diff with each commit

Examples:

# Basic log
git log

# Compact format
git log --oneline

# Graph view
git log --oneline --graph --all

# Last 5 commits
git log -n 5

# Commits by author
git log --author="John"

# Commits in date range
git log --since="2 weeks ago" --until="1 day ago"

# Search commit messages
git log --grep="fix bug"

# Show changes
git log -p

# File history
git log -- filename.txt

# Pretty format
git log --pretty=format:"%h - %an, %ar : %s"

git show¶

Show various types of objects.

Syntax:

git show [object]

Examples:

# Show last commit
git show

# Show specific commit
git show a1b2c3d

# Show file from commit
git show HEAD:filename.txt

# Show tag
git show v1.0.0

git reflog¶

Show reference logs (history of HEAD).

Syntax:

git reflog [options]

Examples:

# Show reflog
git reflog

# Show last 10 entries
git reflog -n 10

# Recover from reflog
git reset --hard HEAD@{2}

8. Undoing Changes¶

git restore¶

Restore working tree files (modern alternative).

Syntax:

git restore [options] <file>

Common Options: - --staged - Unstage files - --source=<commit> - Restore from specific commit

Examples:

# Discard changes in file
git restore filename.txt

# Unstage file
git restore --staged filename.txt

# Restore from specific commit
git restore --source=HEAD~1 filename.txt

git reset¶

Reset current HEAD to specified state.

Syntax:

git reset [mode] [commit]

Common Options: - --soft - Keep changes staged - --mixed - Keep changes unstaged (default) - --hard - Discard all changes

Examples:

# Unstage file
git reset filename.txt

# Undo last commit, keep changes
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# Undo last commit, unstage changes
git reset HEAD~1

# Discard last commit and changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# Reset to specific commit
git reset --hard a1b2c3d

git revert¶

Create new commit that undoes previous commit.

Syntax:

git revert <commit>

Common Options: - --no-commit - Revert without committing - -n - Same as --no-commit

Examples:

# Revert last commit
git revert HEAD

# Revert specific commit
git revert a1b2c3d

# Revert without committing
git revert --no-commit HEAD

git clean¶

Remove untracked files.

Syntax:

git clean [options]

Common Options: - -n or --dry-run - Show what would be removed - -f or --force - Actually remove files - -d - Remove directories - -x - Remove ignored files too - -i - Interactive mode

Examples:

# Preview what will be removed
git clean -n

# Remove untracked files
git clean -f

# Remove untracked files and directories
git clean -fd

# Remove including ignored files
git clean -fdx

9. Advanced Commands¶

git stash¶

Temporarily save changes.

Syntax:

git stash [options]

Common Options: - save <message> - Stash with message - list - List stashes - apply - Apply stash without removing - pop - Apply and remove stash - drop - Remove stash - clear - Remove all stashes - -u or --include-untracked - Include untracked files

Examples:

# Stash changes
git stash

# Stash with message
git stash save "Work in progress"

# Stash including untracked files
git stash -u

# List stashes
git stash list

# Apply last stash
git stash apply

# Apply and remove last stash
git stash pop

# Apply specific stash
git stash apply stash@{1}

# Drop stash
git stash drop stash@{0}

# Clear all stashes
git stash clear

git tag¶

Create, list, or delete tags.

Syntax:

git tag [options] [tag-name]

Common Options: - -a - Create annotated tag - -m <message> - Tag message - -d - Delete tag - -l or --list - List tags

Examples:

# List tags
git tag

# Create lightweight tag
git tag v1.0.0

# Create annotated tag
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release version 1.0.0"

# Tag specific commit
git tag v1.0.0 a1b2c3d

# Delete tag
git tag -d v1.0.0

# Push tags to remote
git push origin v1.0.0
git push origin --tags

git cherry-pick¶

Apply changes from specific commits.

Syntax:

git cherry-pick <commit>

Common Options: - --continue - Continue after resolving conflicts - --abort - Abort cherry-pick - -n or --no-commit - Apply without committing

Examples:

# Cherry-pick commit
git cherry-pick a1b2c3d

# Cherry-pick range
git cherry-pick a1b2c3d..x9y8z7w

# Cherry-pick without committing
git cherry-pick -n a1b2c3d

git bisect¶

Binary search to find problematic commit.

Syntax:

git bisect <subcommand>

Examples:

# Start bisect
git bisect start

# Mark current as bad
git bisect bad

# Mark commit as good
git bisect good a1b2c3d

# After testing each revision...
git bisect good  # or git bisect bad

# Finish bisect
git bisect reset

10. Useful Flags & Options¶

Common Flags Across Commands¶

Output Formatting: - --oneline - Compact single-line output - --stat - Show statistics - --graph - Show ASCII graph - -v or --verbose - Detailed output - -q or --quiet - Suppress output

Filtering: - -n <number> - Limit output - --since=<date> - After date - --until=<date> - Before date - --author=<name> - By author - --grep=<pattern> - Search messages

Safety: - --dry-run or -n - Show what would happen - --force or -f - Force operation - --force-with-lease - Safer force - -i or --interactive - Interactive mode

Git Aliases¶

Create shortcuts for frequently used commands:

# Create aliases
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.cm commit
git config --global alias.unstage 'reset HEAD --'
git config --global alias.last 'log -1 HEAD'
git config --global alias.visual 'log --oneline --graph --all'

# Use aliases
git st
git co main
git visual

Help Commands¶

# General help
git help

# Command-specific help
git help commit
git commit --help

# Quick reference
git <command> -h

Quick Reference Cheatsheet¶

Setup:

git config --global user.name "Name"
git config --global user.email "email@example.com"

Create/Clone:

git init
git clone <url>

Basic Workflow:

git status
git add <file>
git commit -m "message"
git push
git pull

Branching:

git branch <name>          # Create branch
git checkout <name>        # Switch branch
git merge <name>          # Merge branch
git branch -d <name>      # Delete branch

Undo Changes:

git restore <file>        # Discard changes
git reset --soft HEAD~1   # Undo commit, keep changes
git revert HEAD           # Create revert commit

View History:

git log --oneline --graph
git diff
git show <commit>

This reference covers the most essential Git commands. For detailed information on any command, use git help <command> or visit the official Git documentation.

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