Essential Git Commands Cheat Sheet

A comprehensive guide covering essential Git commands and operations, including repository management, making changes, parallel development, syncing, configuration, and project management. Perfect for quick reference and detailed workflows.

Installation

Linux

Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git

Fedora

sudo dnf install git

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S git

Windows

Using Git for Windows Installer

1. Download the Git for Windows installer from git-scm.com.
2. Run the installer and follow the instructions.

Using Chocolatey

choco install git

macOS

Using Homebrew

brew install git

Using MacPorts

sudo port install git

Using Xcode Kit (macOS)

• Git comes pre-installed with Xcode.

Git Operations & Commands

1. Repository Setup

Operation	Command	Description
Init	git init	Create a new local git repository
Clone	git clone [Repo URL]	Create a copy of the original repository
Fork	git fork	Create a copy of the original repository on GitHub
Remove Init	rm -rf .git	Remove the .git directory

2. Committing Changes

Operation	Command	Description
Status	git status	Check the status of the current repository
Add	git add [file names]	Add single or multiple files to the staging area
	git add .	Add all files to the staging area
Commit	git commit -m "[message]"	Commit the changes with a message
Log	git log	Show details of all commits
	git log [Branch Name]	Show details of specific commits
Show	git show [Commit ID]	Show detailed information of a specific commit
Reset	git reset	Reset the HEAD to the last commit and discard new changes
	git reset [file name]	Remove specific files from the staging area
	git reset --soft HEAD~1	Undo the last commit but keep the changes staged
	git reset --hard HEAD~1	Undo the last commit and discard the changes
Stash	git stash	Stash changes into the staging area
	git stash list	Show all stash entries
	git stash apply	Apply a stash
Clean	git clean -f	Remove untracked files from the working directory
	git clean -fd	Remove untracked files and directories
Alias	git config --global alias.[alias] [command]	Shortened commands that map to longer commands
Tag	git tag [Tag Name]	Add a tag at a specific point for extra information
	git tag -l	List all tags
	git tag -a [Tag Name] -m "[Message]"	Create an annotated tag
Blame	git blame [File Name]	Show the person who made changes in a file
Diff	git diff [Branch Name]	Compare the branch with the active branch
	git diff [Primary Branch Name] [Secondary Branch Name]	Compare two branches
	git diff [Primary Commit Name] [Secondary Commit Name]	Compare two commits
Apply a Patch	git apply [Patch File]	Apply changes from a patch file
Show Remote Branches	git branch -r	List remote branches
Check File History	git log --follow [file name]	Show the commit history of a specific file, including renames
Amend Commit	git commit --amend	Modify the last commit with new changes
Check Ignore	git check-ignore -v [file name]	Check if a file is being ignored by .gitignore

3. Branching and Merging

Operation	Command	Description
Branch	git branch	List all available branches
	git branch [New Branch Name]	Create a new branch from the active branch
	git branch --delete/-d [Existing Branch Name]	Delete a branch in the local repository
	git branch -m [Existing Branch Name] [New Branch Name]	Rename an existing branch
Checkout	git checkout [Existing Branch Name/ New Branch Name]	Checkout to another branch or create a new one
Merge	git merge [Secondary Branch Name]	Merge the secondary branch into the active branch
Rebase	git rebase [Branch Name]	Update the active branch with commits from the secondary branch
Cherry Pick	git cherry-pick [Commit ID]	Apply the changes from a specific commit onto the current branch
Revert	git revert [Commit ID]	Create a new commit that undoes the changes of a specific commit
Squash Commits	git rebase -i [Commit ID/Branch Name]	Interactive rebase to squash commits
List Commits between Two Branches	git log [Branch 1]..[Branch 2]	List commits that are in Branch 2 but not in Branch 1
Bisect	git bisect start	Start a bisect session
	git bisect bad	Mark the current commit as bad
	git bisect good [Commit ID]	Mark a known good commit
Rename Branch	git branch -m [New Branch Name]	Rename the current branch
Restore Branch	git checkout -b [Branch Name] [Commit ID]	Restore a branch that has been deleted
Delete Remote Branch	git push origin --delete [Branch Name]	Delete a branch on the remote repository

4. Remote Synchronization

Operation	Command	Description
Remote	git remote -v	Verify the remote repository URL
	git remote add origin [repo URL]	Link a remote repository to the local repository
	git remote add upstream [repo URL]	Add the upstream repository
	git remote rename origin [New Repo Name]	Rename the remote repository
	git remote remove/rm origin	Remove the remote repository
Push	git push (-f optional) origin [Branch Name]	Push local changes to the remote repository (-f for force push)
	git push :[Old Branch Name] [New Branch Name]	Rename the branch on the remote repository
	git push --delete origin [Branch Name]	Delete the remote branch
Pull	git pull origin [Branch Name]	Copy/update the remote repository to the local repository
	git pull --rebase origin [Branch Name]	Rebase the local commits on top of the upstream changes
Fetch	git fetch	Download objects and refs from another repository
	git fetch upstream	Fetch changes from the upstream repository
Submodule	git submodule add [Repo URL] [Path]	Add a submodule to the repository
	git submodule update --init --recursive	Initialize, fetch, and checkout submodules

5. Git Configuration

Operation	Command	Description
Check Config	git config --list	Check already configured parameters
Global Config	git config --global user.name "Vivek Shravan Tate"	Configure username globally
	git config --global user.email "[email protected]"	Configure email globally
Local Config	git config user.name "Vivek Shravan Tate"	Configure username locally
	git config user.email "[email protected]"	Configure email locally
Configure SSH for GitHub	ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"	Generate a new SSH key
	ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa	Add SSH key to the ssh-agent
Alias Creation	git config --global alias.[alias] [command]	Create a shortcut for a Git command
Edit Config	git config --global --edit	Edit the global Git configuration file

6. Repository Management

Operation	Command	Description
Archive	git archive --format=zip --output [path] [Branch Name]	Archive the branch into a zip file
Bundle	git bundle create ../repo.bundler [Branch Name]	Create a file of the branch

7. Troubleshooting

Operation	Command	Description
Reflog	git reflog	Show a log of all references (HEAD changes)
FSCK	git fsck	Check the integrity of the repository
GC	git gc	Cleanup unnecessary files and optimize the repository
Reflog Recovery	git checkout -b [branch] [reflog commit]	Recover a branch using a commit from reflog

8. Git Hooks

Operation	Command	Description
Create Hook	vi .git/hooks/[hook-name]	Create or edit a Git hook
Enable Hook	chmod +x .git/hooks/[hook-name]	Make the hook script executable
Sample Hook	cp .git/hooks/[hook-name].sample .git/hooks/[hook-name]	Copy and edit a sample hook script

Get in Touch

Please feel free to reach out if you have any issues or suggestions. Connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected].