Git commands CheatSheet – List of most used Git commands
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In this article, I will be listing some of the important Git commands along with their syntax and examples. This article is aimed to be a Git commands cheatsheet for developers.
Table Of Contents
Important Git Commands
git init
The git init command creates a local repository. It creates a hidden .git folder that represents the local repository.
Syntax
git init
Examples
git init # Initializes the current directory as a git repository
git init <path> # Initializes the specified directory as a git repository
git add
The git add command adds files to the git staging area
Syntax
git add <filename>
Examples
git add Hello.java # adds Hello.java
git add . # adds everything from the current directory recursively OR
git add -A # same as git add .
git commit
The git commit command adds files to the local repository. You can use it to add a single file as well as a bunch of files.
Syntax
git commit -m "<msg>"
Examples
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git commit -am "Initial commit" $ Combination of git add and git commit, can only be used for tracked files
git push
The git push command adds files from the local Git repository to the remote repository on your Git hosting system like Github. Before executing this command, it is necessary for the remote repository to exist on the Git hosting platform.
Syntax
git push <repository name> <branch name>
Examples
git push origin main # pushes the main branch
git push origin b1 # pushes the branch b1
git clone
The git clone command obtains a copy of a remote repository on the local system. This is known as cloning a repository.
Syntax
git clone <url>
Examples
git clone https://github.com/reshmabidikar/learnjava-springboot-flyway-example.git
git pull
The git pull command fetches the latest code from the remote repository and merges it with the local code. It is a combination of the git fetch and git merge commands. You can use it to synchronize your local repository with the remote repository. It is a best practice to always do a pull before doing a push.
Syntax
git pull <repository name> <branch name>
Examples
git pull origin master # fetches the latest code from the master branch of the remote repository and merges it with the local repository
git status
The git status command returns the status of a git repository. It provides information about the current branch, whether there are untracked files, files to commit, and so on.
Syntax
git status
Examples
git status
This returns information like:
$ git status
On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 4 commits.
(use "git push" to publish your local commits)
Changes not staged for commit:
(use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
(use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
modified: Hello.txt
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")
git branch
The git branch command executes branch-related actions like creating a new branch, renaming a branch, deleting a branch, and listing all branches.
Syntax
git branch <options > <branch name>
Examples
git branch b1 # Creates branch b1
git branch -a # Lists available branches with an * around the active branch
git branch -m oldbranch newbranch # Renames oldbranch to newbranch
git branch -d branch1 # Deletes branch1
git merge
The git merge command can be used to merge a branch into the currently checked-out branch.
Syntax
git merge <branch name>
Examples
git checkout master # switches to the master branch
git merge b1 # Merges b1 into master
git merge b1 --no-ff # Merges b1 into master by disabling fast forward merge
git reset
Removes a file from the staging area.
Syntax
git reset HEAD <filename>
Examples
git reset HEAD file.txt # Removes file from staging area
git checkout
Can be used to switch branches or restore files.
Syntax
git checkout <filename>
Examples
git checkout Hello.txt # Reverts Hello.txt to the last version in Git, note that if the file is added to index, it should be first removed via the git reset command shown above
git checkout branch1 # used to switch to branch branch1
git checkout -b branch1 #creates branch branch1 and swtiches to it
Further Learning
Conclusion
So, this article provides a Git commands cheatsheet. It explains the important Git commands and their syntax along with examples. Some of the commands covered include git init, git add, git push, git pull and so forth.
