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Farhad Rahimi Klie
Farhad Rahimi Klie

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Git: The Complete Guide for Developers (Beginner to Advanced)

#git #tutorial #beginners #tooling

Everything you must know about Git, how it works, and why every developer must master it.

🚀 Introduction

Git is the backbone of modern software development. Whether you’re building a small project or contributing to a massive open-source codebase, Git helps you track changes, collaborate smoothly, and never lose your work.

In this article, we’ll explore everything about Git, from its fundamentals to advanced techniques used by professional developers.

📌 What Is Git?

Git is a distributed version control system (DVCS) that helps you:

  • Track every change to your code
  • Collaborate with developers anywhere
  • Roll back to older versions
  • Create multiple branches of development
  • Merge updates without overwriting others’ work

Created by Linus Torvalds, Git is extremely fast, flexible, and reliable.

📂 Why Developers Use Git

Here’s why Git is essential:

✔ Never lose your code

Every change is stored in the repository.

✔ Easy collaboration

Everyone works on their own branch, then merges.

✔ Version history

You can go back in time to any previous version.

✔ Open-source friendly

Huge communities rely on Git + GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket.

🧠 How Git Works (Simple Explanation)

Git takes snapshots of your project.
Each snapshot is called a commit.

A Git project has 3 main areas:

1️⃣ Working Directory – your actual files
2️⃣ Staging Area (Index) – files ready to commit
3️⃣ Repository (.git folder) – commits saved permanently

This 3-step workflow makes Git very reliable.

📦 Installing Git

On Ubuntu: 

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git
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On Windows:

Download from: https://git-scm.com/downloads

Configure your identity: 

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
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📁 Creating a Git Repository

Initialize Git: 

git init
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Clone an existing repository: 

git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
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✨ The Most Important Git Commands (Explained)

1. Check status 

git status
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2. Stage files 

git add file.txt
git add .
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3. Commit files 

git commit -m "Meaningful commit message"
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4. View commit history 

git log
git log --oneline
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🌿 Working With Branches

Create a branch: 

git branch feature-login
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Switch to branch: 

git checkout feature-login
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Create + switch: 

git checkout -b feature-login
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List branches: 

git branch
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Delete branch: 

git branch -d feature-login
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🔄 Merging Branches

Switch to the branch where you want to merge:

git checkout main
git merge feature-login
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⚠️ Handling Merge Conflicts

Conflicts happen when two people edit the same line.

Git shows conflict markers:

<<<<<<< HEAD
Your code
=======
Other person's code
>>>>>>> feature-branch
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Fix manually, then:

git add .
git commit
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📤 Working With Remote Repositories

Add remote: 

git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git
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Push changes: 

git push origin main
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Pull changes: 

git pull
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Fetch changes (without merging): 

git fetch
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♻️ Undoing Changes (Lifesaving Git Commands)

Undo changes in working directory 

git checkout -- file.txt
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Unstage a file 

git reset file.txt
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Undo last commit but keep changes 

git reset --soft HEAD~1
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Undo last commit and delete changes 

git reset --hard HEAD~1
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🏗 Git Stash (Temporarily Save Work)

Save your work:

git stash
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Show stashes:

git stash list
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Apply stash:

git stash apply
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Remove stash:

git stash drop
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💥 Git Rebase (Advanced but Powerful)

Rebase rewrites commit history to make it cleaner.

Example:

git checkout feature
git rebase main
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Rebase is used to:

  • Clean messy commit history
  • Sync your branch with the latest main
  • Make PRs smaller & cleaner

🛡 Git Best Practices (Professional Level)

✔ Write meaningful commit messages

Bad:

fix stuff
Good:
Fix login bug caused by null password check

✔ Use branches for every feature

Never code directly on main.

✔ Keep commits small

One task = one commit.

✔ Avoid pushing broken code

Always test before pushing.

✔ Use .gitignore

To ignore unnecessary files:

node_modules/
.env
.vscode/
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🧰 Useful Git Tools

✔ GitHub Desktop

GUI for Git beginners.

✔ VS Code Git Integration

Stage, commit, and push inside editor.

✔ GitKraken

Powerful Git GUI for teams.

🚀 Final Thoughts

Git is not just a tool—it’s a superpower for developers.
Mastering it will:

  • Boost your productivity
  • Make teamwork smooth
  • Improve your professionalism
  • Prepare you for real-world development

Whether you’re working solo or contributing to open-source, Git will always be your best friend.

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