🚀 The Only Git Cheat Sheet Every Developer Should Know (With One-Line Use Cases)

🔧 Getting Started

git init — Create a new Git repository in the current folder.
git clone <url> — Download a repository from GitHub/GitLab to your machine.
git config --global user.name "Your Name" — Set your Git username.
git config --global user.email "[e-mail]" — Set your Git email.

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📌 Daily Workflow Commands

git status — Show which files are modified or staged.
git add <file> — Stage a specific file for commit.
git add . — Stage all modified files.
git commit -m "message" — Save staged changes with a message.
git push — Upload your commits to the remote repository.
git pull — Fetch & merge the latest changes from remote.

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🌿 Branching Essentials

git branch — List all local branches.
git branch <name> — Create a new branch.
git checkout <branch> — Switch to a specific branch.
git checkout -b <branch> — Create a branch and switch to it.
git merge <branch> — Merge the given branch into your current branch.

✂️ Deleting Branches

git branch -d <branch> — Delete a branch that’s fully merged.
git branch -D <branch> — Force delete an unmerged branch.

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♻️ Fixing Mistakes & Undoing Changes

🔄 Undo Changes

git restore <file> — Discard local modifications in a file.
git restore --staged <file> — Unstage a file while keeping changes.

🛑 Abort a Merge

git merge --abort — Cancel an ongoing merge and revert to previous state.

✏️ Edit Last Commit Message

git commit --amend — Modify the message of the latest commit.

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⏪ Undoing Commits (Reset, Revert)

🔙 Reset (Go Back in History)

git reset --soft HEAD~1 — Undo last commit but keep changes staged.
git reset --mixed HEAD~1 — Undo last commit, keep changes unstaged.
git reset --hard HEAD~1 — Undo last commit and delete changes forever.
git reset --hard origin/<branch> — Reset your local branch to match remote.

🔄 Revert (Safe Undo)

git revert <commit> — Create a new commit that reverses a previous one.

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🧽 Squashing & Cleaning Commit History

Squash Multiple Commits

git rebase -i HEAD~<n>

→ Then change pick → squash for the commits you want to merge into one.

Quick Squash Last 2 Commits

git reset --soft HEAD~2
git commit -m "single squashed commit"

This is perfect when you want to clean your history before pushing a feature branch.

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📜 Viewing History & Differences

git log — Show full commit history.
git log --oneline — Display a compact commit list.
git diff — View uncommitted changes.
git diff --staged — See diff for staged changes.

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🌐 Working with Remote Repositories

git remote -v — View linked remotes.
git remote add origin <url> — Connect your local repo to a remote.
git push -u origin <branch> — Push a new branch and set tracking.

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💡 Bonus: Life-Saving Commands You’ll Use Often

git stash — Save your changes temporarily without committing.
git stash pop — Restore the stashed changes.
git cherry-pick <commit> — Copy a specific commit onto current branch.
git pull --rebase — Pull updates without creating merge commits.
git fetch — Get updates from remote without merging.