This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for the most common commands in Git.
Setup and Initialization
Configure Git and initialize a new or existing repository.
# Configure your name and email
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
# Initialize a new local repository
git init
# Clone a remote repository
git clone <repository_url>Staging and Committing
Manage changes to files.
# Check the status of your working directory
git status
# Add a file to the staging area
git add <file_name>
# Add all changed files to the staging area
git add .
# Commit staged changes with a message
git commit -m "Your descriptive commit message"
# Add all tracked files and commit in one step
git commit -am "Your message"Branching and Merging
Work with branches to manage features and fixes.
# List all local branches
git branch
# Create a new branch
git branch <branch_name>
# Switch to a different branch
git checkout <branch_name>
# Modern alternative: git switch <branch_name>
# Create and switch to a new branch
git checkout -b <new_branch_name>
# Modern alternative: git switch -c <new_branch_name>
# Merge changes from another branch into the current branch
git merge <branch_to_merge>
# Delete a local branch
git branch -d <branch_name>Remote Operations
Sync your local repository with a remote one (like GitHub).
# List configured remote repositories
git remote -v
# Fetch changes from a remote repository
git fetch <remote_name>
# Fetch and merge changes from the remote
git pull <remote_name> <branch_name>
# Push your committed changes to a remote repository
git push <remote_name> <branch_name>
# Push a new branch to the remote for the first time
git push -u <remote_name> <branch_name>Inspecting History
View project history and differences.
# View the commit history
git log
# View a condensed log
git log --oneline --graph
# Show changes between your working directory and the last commit
git diff
# Show changes between the staging area and the last commit
git diff --staged
# Show the changes made in a specific commit
git show <commit_hash>Undoing Changes
Correct mistakes and revert changes.
# Revert changes in a file to how it was in the last commit
git checkout -- <file_name>
# Modern alternative: git restore <file_name>
# Unstage a file
git reset <file_name>
# Modern alternative: git restore --staged <file_name>
# Create a new commit that undoes the changes of a previous commit
git revert <commit_hash>
# Reset to a previous commit, discarding all changes since
git reset --hard <commit_hash>Stashing
Temporarily save uncommitted changes.
# Stash your current changes
git stash
# List all stashes
git stash list
# Apply the most recent stash and remove it from the list
git stash pop
# Apply the most recent stash but keep it in the list
git stash apply