Git Command Cheatsheet
Essential Git commands for version control
DevOps
Git Command Cheatsheet
A comprehensive reference for Git version control commands.
Configuration
Setup
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
git config --global core.editor vim
git config --list # Show all settings
git config user.name # Show specific setting
Repository Basics
Initialize & Clone
git init # Initialize new repo
git clone <url> # Clone repository
git clone <url> <directory> # Clone to specific directory
git clone --depth 1 <url> # Shallow clone (last commit only)
Basic Workflow
Status & Changes
git status # Show working tree status
git status -s # Short status
git diff # Show unstaged changes
git diff --staged # Show staged changes
git diff HEAD # Show all changes since last commit
Add & Commit
git add <file> # Stage specific file
git add . # Stage all changes
git add -A # Stage all (including deletions)
git add -p # Interactive staging
git commit -m "message" # Commit with message
git commit -am "message" # Stage and commit (tracked files)
git commit --amend # Amend last commit
git commit --amend --no-edit # Amend without changing message
Branching
Branch Management
git branch # List local branches
git branch -a # List all branches (including remote)
git branch <name> # Create new branch
git branch -d <name> # Delete branch (safe)
git branch -D <name> # Force delete branch
git branch -m <old> <new> # Rename branch
Switching Branches
git checkout <branch> # Switch to branch
git checkout -b <branch> # Create and switch to branch
git switch <branch> # Switch to branch (newer)
git switch -c <branch> # Create and switch (newer)
Merging
Merge Operations
git merge <branch> # Merge branch into current
git merge --no-ff <branch> # Merge with merge commit
git merge --squash <branch> # Squash merge
git merge --abort # Abort merge
Rebasing
Rebase Commands
git rebase <branch> # Rebase current branch
git rebase -i HEAD~3 # Interactive rebase last 3 commits
git rebase --continue # Continue after resolving conflicts
git rebase --abort # Abort rebase
git rebase --skip # Skip current commit
Remote Operations
Remote Management
git remote # List remotes
git remote -v # List remotes with URLs
git remote add <name> <url> # Add remote
git remote remove <name> # Remove remote
git remote rename <old> <new> # Rename remote
git remote show <name> # Show remote info
Fetch & Pull
git fetch # Fetch from origin
git fetch <remote> # Fetch from specific remote
git fetch --all # Fetch from all remotes
git fetch --prune # Remove deleted remote branches
git pull # Fetch and merge
git pull --rebase # Fetch and rebase
git pull <remote> <branch> # Pull from specific remote/branch
Push
git push # Push to origin
git push <remote> <branch> # Push to specific remote/branch
git push -u origin <branch> # Push and set upstream
git push --all # Push all branches
git push --tags # Push all tags
git push --force # Force push (dangerous!)
git push --force-with-lease # Safer force push
Stashing
Stash Operations
git stash # Stash changes
git stash save "message" # Stash with message
git stash list # List stashes
git stash show # Show latest stash
git stash show -p # Show latest stash diff
git stash apply # Apply latest stash
git stash apply stash@{n} # Apply specific stash
git stash pop # Apply and remove latest stash
git stash drop # Remove latest stash
git stash clear # Remove all stashes
History
Log & History
git log # Show commit history
git log --oneline # Compact log
git log --graph # Show branch graph
git log --all --graph --oneline # Full graph
git log -n 5 # Show last 5 commits
git log --author="name" # Filter by author
git log --since="2 weeks ago" # Filter by date
git log --grep="pattern" # Search commit messages
git log -p # Show patches
git log --stat # Show stats
git log <file> # Show history for file
Show & Diff
git show <commit> # Show commit details
git show <commit>:<file> # Show file at commit
git diff <commit1> <commit2> # Diff between commits
git diff <branch1>..<branch2> # Diff between branches
Undoing Changes
Reset
git reset <file> # Unstage file
git reset # Unstage all
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
git reset --hard <commit> # Reset to specific commit
Revert
git revert <commit> # Create new commit that undoes changes
git revert HEAD # Revert last commit
git revert --no-commit <commit> # Revert without committing
Clean
git clean -n # Dry run (show what would be deleted)
git clean -f # Remove untracked files
git clean -fd # Remove untracked files and directories
git clean -fX # Remove ignored files
git clean -fx # Remove untracked and ignored files
Tags
Tag Management
git tag # List tags
git tag <name> # Create lightweight tag
git tag -a <name> -m "message" # Create annotated tag
git tag -d <name> # Delete tag
git push origin <tag> # Push tag
git push origin --tags # Push all tags
git push origin :refs/tags/<tag> # Delete remote tag
Advanced
Cherry Pick
git cherry-pick <commit> # Apply commit to current branch
git cherry-pick <commit1> <commit2> # Apply multiple commits
git cherry-pick --continue # Continue after resolving conflicts
git cherry-pick --abort # Abort cherry-pick
Bisect
git bisect start # Start bisect
git bisect bad # Mark current as bad
git bisect good <commit> # Mark commit as good
git bisect reset # End bisect
Submodules
git submodule add <url> <path> # Add submodule
git submodule init # Initialize submodules
git submodule update # Update submodules
git submodule update --remote # Update to latest
git clone --recursive <url> # Clone with submodules
Useful Aliases
Common Aliases
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.ci commit
git config --global alias.unstage 'reset HEAD --'
git config --global alias.last 'log -1 HEAD'
git config --global alias.lg "log --graph --oneline --all"
.gitignore
Common Patterns
# Compiled files
*.class
*.pyc
*.o
# Packages
*.jar
*.war
*.egg
# Logs
*.log
logs/
# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp
# Dependencies
node_modules/
vendor/
# Environment
.env
.env.local
Quick Reference
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
git init |
Initialize repository |
git clone <url> |
Clone repository |
git add . |
Stage all changes |
git commit -m "msg" |
Commit changes |
git push |
Push to remote |
git pull |
Pull from remote |
git status |
Check status |
git log |
View history |
git branch |
List branches |
git checkout -b <name> |
Create branch |
git merge <branch> |
Merge branch |
git stash |
Stash changes |
Common Workflows
Feature Branch Workflow
git checkout -b feature/new-feature
# Make changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"
git push -u origin feature/new-feature
# Create pull request
Hotfix Workflow
git checkout main
git checkout -b hotfix/bug-fix
# Fix bug
git add .
git commit -m "Fix critical bug"
git checkout main
git merge hotfix/bug-fix
git push
git branch -d hotfix/bug-fix
Sync Fork
git remote add upstream <original-repo-url>
git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main
git push origin main
Tips
- Commit often with meaningful messages
- Pull before push to avoid conflicts
- Use branches for features and fixes
- Review changes before committing
- Write good commit messages (imperative mood)
- Don't commit secrets or sensitive data
- Use .gitignore properly
- Learn to rebase for cleaner history
- Use tags for releases
- Backup important work before force operations
Resources
- Official Documentation: https://git-scm.com/doc
- Pro Git Book: https://git-scm.com/book
- Git Cheat Sheet: https://training.github.com/
- Learn Git Branching: https://learngitbranching.js.org/