Git and GitHub are fundamental tools for developers, and interviewers often test your knowledge of them. This blog covers the most commonly asked Git and GitHub interview questions, explained in a crisp and practical way.
🔹 Git vs GitHub
- Git: A distributed version control system (VCS) used to track source code changes.
- GitHub: A cloud-based hosting platform for Git repositories with collaboration features like pull requests, issues, and CI/CD.
🔹 Repo vs Branch
- Repository (Repo): A collection of files and their entire version history.
- Branch: A lightweight movable pointer to a commit, allowing parallel development.
🔹 Push vs Pull
- Push: Uploads your local commits to a remote repository.
- Pull: Fetches updates from the remote and merges them into your local branch.
🔹 Pull vs Fetch
- Pull = Fetch + Merge.
- Fetch: Downloads changes from remote but does not merge automatically.
🔹 Clone vs Remote
- Clone: Creates a local copy of a remote repo.
-
Remote: A reference (like
origin) to the remote repository URL.
🔹 Diff vs Status
- git diff: Shows actual changes (line-by-line) not staged or committed.
- git status: Shows the state of working directory and staging area.
🔹 Merge vs Rebase
- Merge: Combines histories of two branches with a new merge commit.
- Rebase: Reapplies commits of one branch onto another, resulting in a linear history.
🔹 What’s a Git repo & how to create one?
A Git repository is a directory where Git tracks files and history.
git init # Create a local repo
git clone <url> # Clone a remote repo
🔹 Fix a Broken Commit
git commit --amend # Fix last commit
git reset --soft HEAD~1 # Undo last commit, keep changes
🔹 What happens if .git folder gets deleted?
- The repo loses its history and version control, as
.gitcontains all commit objects, refs, and configurations.
🔹 Use of Staging Area (Indexing)
- Temporary area where changes are reviewed before committing.
- Allows selective commit (
git add <file>).
🔹 Git Repo Hosting Functions
Platforms like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket provide:
- Remote hosting
- Collaboration (pull requests, issues)
- CI/CD pipelines
- Access control
🔹 VCS (Version Control System)
Tracks changes in code over time, supports collaboration, and helps rollback or branch development.
🔹 Features/Advantages of Git
- Distributed VCS (no single point of failure).
- Lightweight branching and merging.
- Offline work support.
🔹 Git vs SVN
- Git: Distributed, faster, branching-friendly.
- SVN: Centralized, slower for branching, single point of failure.
🔹 git config
Sets user info and preferences.
git config --global user.name "Ankush"
git config --global user.email "ankush@example.com"
🔹 git ls-tree
Shows content of a tree object (commits, blobs, trees).
🔹 Git Stash Commands
- Save work:
git stash - List stashes:
git stash list - Apply latest:
git stash apply - Drop stash:
git stash drop
🔹 Revert vs Reset
- Revert: Creates a new commit that undoes changes. Safe for shared repos.
- Reset: Moves HEAD to a previous commit, can discard changes.
🔹 HEAD in Git
- HEAD is the current branch pointer (latest commit).
- Normally 1 active HEAD, but multiple branch heads can exist.
🔹 Git Username and Email
Each commit uses configured username & email (git config).
🔹 Commit History
git log
git log --oneline --graph
🔹 Branch Operations
- New branch:
git branch new-feature - Switch branch:
git checkout mainORgit switch main - List branches:
git branch - Create + switch:
git checkout -b feature - Delete branch:
git branch -d feature - Merge branch:
git merge feature
🔹 Remote Tracking
Check which branch is being tracked:
git branch -vv
🔹 Force Push
git push origin main --force
🔹 Add Remote Repo
git remote add origin <url>
🔹 Rename File in Git
git mv old.txt new.txt
git commit -m "Renamed file"
🔹 .gitignore
Defines files/folders Git should ignore. Example:
node_modules/
*.log
.env
🔹 Rollback Last Commit
git reset --soft HEAD~1 # Keep changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1 # Discard changes
✅ Final Thoughts
These questions cover core Git and GitHub concepts often asked in interviews. Knowing both commands and theory will help you stand out in backend or full-stack interviews.
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