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Apaksh
Apaksh

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Git Commands You Need to Know (The Complete Cheat Sheet)

#programming #beginners #git #tutorial

I've been using Git for over a decade, and I still look up commands. Not because I'm forgetful -- because Git has a massive surface area and you only use 20% of it daily. The other 80% comes up when you're untangling a messy rebase at midnight or trying to find which commit introduced a bug. This is the cheat sheet I keep open in a terminal tab at all times.

1. Setup & Configuration 

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --decorate"
git config --list
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Config Levels

  • System (--system) -- /etc/gitconfig
  • Global/user (--global) -- ~/.gitconfig
  • Local/repo (--local) -- .git/config

2. Creating & Cloning Repos 

git init                          # Init repo in current directory
git clone <url>                   # Clone repo
git clone --depth 1 <url>         # Shallow clone (latest commit only)
git clone -b dev <url>            # Clone specific branch
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3. The Basics -- Snapshot Workflow 

git status                        # Show working tree status
git add <file>                    # Stage a file
git add .                         # Stage all changes
git add -p                        # Stage changes interactively (hunks)
git commit -m "message"           # Commit staged changes
git commit --amend                # Modify last commit
git diff                          # Unstaged changes vs last commit
git diff --staged                 # Staged changes vs last commit
git diff branch1..branch2         # Diff between two branches
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4. Viewing History 

git log --oneline --graph         # Branch graph view
git log --author="Alice"          # Filter by author
git log --since="2024-01-01"      # Filter by date
git log --grep="fix"              # Search commit messages
git log -S "function_name"        # Search changes in code (pickaxe)
git show <commit>                 # Show commit details
git blame <file>                  # Show who changed each line
git blame -L 10,20 <file>         # Blame specific lines
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5. Branching 

git branch                        # List local branches
git branch -a                     # List all branches
git switch -c dev                 # Create + switch (modern syntax)
git switch dev                    # Switch to branch
git branch -m old-name new-name   # Rename branch
git branch -d dev                 # Delete branch (safe)
git branch -D dev                 # Force delete branch
git branch --merged               # Branches merged into current
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Branch Naming Conventions

  • feature/user-auth -- New features
  • fix/login-crash -- Bug fixes
  • hotfix/null-pointer -- Urgent prod fix
  • chore/update-deps -- Maintenance
  • release/v2.1.0 -- Release prep

6. Merging 

git merge dev                     # Merge dev into current branch
git merge --no-ff dev             # Always create merge commit
git merge --squash dev            # Squash all commits into one
git merge --abort                 # Abort an in-progress merge
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7. Rebasing 

git rebase main                   # Rebase current branch onto main
git rebase --abort                # Abort rebase
git rebase --continue             # Continue after resolving conflict
git rebase -i HEAD~3              # Interactive rebase: rewrite last 3 commits
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Interactive Rebase Commands

  • pick (p) -- Keep commit as-is
  • reword (r) -- Keep commit, edit message
  • squash (s) -- Combine with previous commit
  • fixup (f) -- Like squash, discard message
  • drop (d) -- Delete the commit

8. Remote Operations 

git remote -v                     # List remotes with URLs
git fetch --prune                 # Fetch + remove stale remote branches
git pull --rebase                 # Fetch + rebase
git push -u origin main           # Push + set upstream tracking
git push --force-with-lease       # Safe force push
git push origin --delete dev      # Delete remote branch
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Prefer --force-with-lease over --force -- it fails if someone else pushed since your last fetch.

9. Stashing 

git stash                         # Stash current changes
git stash push -m "WIP: login"    # Stash with a name
git stash -u                      # Include untracked files
git stash list                    # List all stashes
git stash pop                     # Apply latest stash + drop it
git stash apply stash@{2}         # Apply specific stash (keep it)
git stash drop stash@{0}          # Delete specific stash
git stash branch feature stash@{0} # Create branch from stash
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10. Undoing Things 

# Undo Working Directory Changes
git restore <file>                # Discard changes (modern)
git clean -fd                     # Remove untracked files + dirs

# Undo Staging
git restore --staged <file>       # Unstage (modern syntax)

# Undo Commits
git revert <commit>               # New commit that undoes a commit (safe)
git reset --soft HEAD~1           # Undo commit, keep changes staged
git reset --mixed HEAD~1          # Undo commit, keep changes unstaged
git reset --hard HEAD~1           # Undo commit, DISCARD changes
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Reset Modes Comparison

  • --soft -- HEAD moved, staging unchanged, working dir unchanged
  • --mixed -- HEAD moved, staging cleared, working dir unchanged
  • --hard -- HEAD moved, staging cleared, working dir cleared (dangerous)

11. Cherry-Picking & Tags 

git cherry-pick <commit>          # Apply a specific commit
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release"    # Create annotated tag
git push origin --tags            # Push all tags
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12. Working with History -- Advanced 

# Find which commit introduced a bug
git bisect start
git bisect bad                    # Current commit is broken
git bisect good v1.2.0            # This version was fine
git bisect reset                  # End bisect session

# Find a lost commit
git reflog                        # Log of ALL HEAD movements
git branch recovered <lost-hash>  # Save it as a branch
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Common Workflows

Feature Branch Workflow 

git switch main && git pull
git switch -c feature/my-feature
# ... do work ...
git add -p && git commit -m "feat: add X"
git push -u origin feature/my-feature
# Open Pull Request -> merge -> delete branch
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Hotfix Workflow 

git switch main && git pull
git switch -c hotfix/critical-bug
git commit -am "fix: resolve null pointer"
git switch main
git merge --no-ff hotfix/critical-bug
git tag -a v1.0.1 -m "Hotfix release"
git push && git push --tags
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Pro Tips

  • git reset --hard is permanent -- changes in working directory are gone. Use git stash to be safe.
  • Never rebase shared/public branches -- it rewrites history and causes chaos for teammates.
  • git add -p is your best friend -- review exactly what you're committing, hunk by hunk.
  • git reflog is your safety net -- almost anything can be recovered within 90 days.

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