Git & GitHub cheatsheet

What is Git❓

Git is a version control system used for tracking changes in computer files. It is generally used for source code management in software development.

• Git is used to tracking changes in the source code
• The distributed version control tool is used for source code management
• It allows multiple developers to work together
• It supports non-linear development through its thousands of parallel branches

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📸 Creating Snapshots

Initializing a repository

$ git init

Staging files

$ git add file1.js            # Stages a single file
$ git add file1.js file2.js   # Stages multiple files
$ git add *.js                # Stages with a pattern
$ git add .                   # Stages the current directory and all its content

Viewing the status

$ git status                   # Full status
$ git status -s                # Short status

Committing the staged files

$ git commit -m “Message”.     # Commits with a one-line message
$ git commit                   # Opens the default editor to type a long message

Skipping the staging area

$ git commit -am “Message”

Removing files

$ git rm file1.js              # Removes from working directory and staging area
$ git rm --cached file1.js.    # Removes from staging area only

Renaming or moving files

$ git mv file1.js file1.txt

Viewing the staged/unstaged changes

$ git diff                     # Shows unstaged changes
$ git diff --staged            # Shows staged changes
$ git diff --cached            # Same as the above

Viewing the history

$ git log                      # Full history
$ git log --oneline            # Summary
$ git log --reverse            # Lists the commits from the oldest to the newest

Viewing a commit

$ git show 921a2ff             # Shows the given commit
$ git show HEAD                # Shows the last commit
$ git show HEAD~2              # Two steps before the last commit
$ git show HEAD:file.js        # Shows the version of file.js stored in the last             ...                              commit

Unstaging files (undoing git add)

$ git restore --staged file.js   # Copies the last version of file.js from repo ...                                to index

Discarding local changes

$ git restore file.js          # Copies file.js from index to working directory
$ git restore file1.js file2.js   # Restores multiple files in working directory
$ git restore .            # Discards all local changes (except untracked files)
$ git clean -fd            # Removes all untracked files

Restoring an earlier version of a file

$ git restore --source=HEAD~2 file.js

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📥 Browsing History

Viewing the history

$ git log --stat           # Shows the list of modified files
$ git log --patch          # Shows the actual changes (patches)

Filtering the history

$ git log -3                             # Shows the last 3 entries
$ git log --author=“Mosh”
$ git log --before=“2020-08-17” 
$ git log --after=“one week ago”
$ git log --grep=“GUI”                   # Commits with “GUI” in their message
$ git log -S“GUI”                        # Commits with “GUI” in their patches
$ git log hash1..hash2                   # Range of commits
$ git log file.txt                       # Commits that touched file.txt

Formatting the log output

$ git log --pretty=format:”%an committed %H”

Creating an alias

$ git config --global alias.lg “log --oneline"

Viewing a commit

$ git show HEAD~2
$ git show HEAD~2:file1.txt   # Shows the version of file stored in this commit

Comparing commits

$ git diff HEAD~2 HEAD.             # Shows the changes between two commits
$ git diff HEAD~2 HEAD file.txt.    # Changes to file.txt only

Checking out a commit

$ git checkout dad47ed                  # Checks out the given commit
$ git checkout master                   # Checks out the master branch

Finding a bad commit

$ git bisect start
$ git bisect bad                     # Marks the current commit as a bad commit
$ git bisect good ca49180            # Marks the given commit as a good commit
$ git bisect reset                   # Terminates the bisect session

Finding contributors

$ git shortlog

Viewing the history of a file

$ git log file.txt       # Shows the commits that touched file.txt
$ git log --stat file.tx # Shows statistics (the number of changes) for file.txt
$ git log --patch file.txt. # Shows the patches (changes) applied to file.txt

Finding the author of lines

$ git blame file.txt         # Shows the author of each line in file.txt

Tagging

$ git tag v1.0               # Tags the last commit as v1.0
$ git tag v1.0 5e7a828       # Tags an earlier commit
$ git tag                    # Lists all the tags
$ git tag -d v1.0            # Deletes the given tag

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🌿 Branching & Merging

Managing branches

$ git branch bugfix           # Creates a new branch called bugfix
$ git checkout bugfix         # Switches to the bugfix branch
$ git switch bugfix           # Same as the above
$ git switch -C bugfix        # Creates and switches
$ git branch -d bugfix        # Deletes the bugfix branch

Comparing branches

$ git log master..bugfix  # Lists the commits in the bugfix branch not in master
$ git diff master..bugfix   # Shows the summary of changes

Stashing

$ git stash push -m “New tax rules”     # Creates a new stash
$ git stash list                        # Lists all the stashes
$ git stash show stash@{1}              # Shows the given stash
$ git stash show 1                      # shortcut for stash@{1}
$ git stash apply 1                # Applies the given stash to the working dir
$ git stash drop 1                      # Deletes the given stash
$ git stash clear                       # Deletes all the stashes

Merging

$ git merge bugfix          # Merges the bugfix branch into the current branch
$ git merge --no-ff bugfix  # Creates a merge commit even if FF is possible
$ git merge --squash bugfix # Performs a squash merge
$ git merge --abort         # Aborts the merge

Viewing the merged branches

$ git branch --merged       # Shows the merged branches
$ git branch --no-merged    # Shows the unmerged branches

Rebasing

$ git rebase master         # Changes the base of the current branch

Cherry picking

$ git cherry-pick dad47ed   # Applies the given commit on the current branch

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👥 Collaboration

Cloning a repository

$ git clone url

Syncing with remotes

$ git fetch origin master          # Fetches master from origin
$ git fetch origin                 # Fetches all objects from origin
$ git fetch                        # Shortcut for “git fetch origin” 
$ git pull                         # Fetch + merge
$ git push origin master           # Pushes master to origin
$ git push                         # Shortcut for “git push origin master”

Sharing tags

$ git push origin v1.0               # Pushes tag v1.0 to origin
$ git push origin —delete v1.0 

Sharing branches

$ git branch -r                     # Shows remote tracking branches
$ git branch -vv                    # Shows local & remote tracking branches
$ git push -u origin bugfix         # Pushes bugfix to origin
$ git push -d origin bugfix         # Removes bugfix from origin

Managing remotes

$ git remote                        # Shows remote repos
$ git remote add upstream url       # Adds a new remote called upstream
$ git remote rm upstream            # Remotes upstream

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📜 Rewriting History

Undoing commits

$ git reset --soft HEAD^         # Removes the last commit, keeps changed staged
$ git reset --mixed HEAD^        # Unstages the changes as well
$ git reset --hard HEAD^         # Discards local changes

Reverting commits

$ git revert 72856ea               # Reverts the given commit
$ git revert HEAD~3..              # Reverts the last three commits  
$ git revert --no-commit HEAD~3..

Recovering lost commits

$ git reflog                       # Shows the history of HEAD
$ git reflog show bugfix           # Shows the history of bugfix pointer

Amending the last commit

$ git commit --amend

Interactive rebasing

$ git rebase -i HEAD~5