Cheat Sheet

Git Commands

Quick-reference guide to the most common Git commands — configuration, branching, merging, remote operations, undoing changes, stashing, and inspection.

Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes to files and enables collaboration through branching, merging, and remote repositories. Every project folder under Git control has a .git directory — the local repository that stores all history.

Note: Commands shown below assume Git ≥ 2.x. Some newer options (like git switch and git restore) were added in Git 2.23.

Configuration

Command	What it does
git config --global user.name "Name"	Set your name for commits (global)
git config --global user.email "e@mail"	Set your email for commits (global)
git config --global init.defaultBranch main	Default branch name for new repos
git config --global alias.co checkout	Create a shortcut: git co = git checkout
git config --list	Show all current config values
git init	Create a new Git repository in the current directory
git init repo-name	Create a new repo in a new directory

Working with Changes

Command	What it does
git status	Show working tree status (changed, staged, untracked files)
git add file	Stage a specific file for the next commit
git add .	Stage all changes in the current directory
git add -p	Stage changes interactively per hunk (partial add)
git commit -m "msg"	Commit staged changes with a message
git commit -am "msg"	Stage all tracked files + commit (skip git add)
git commit --amend	Edit the last commit message or add staged changes to it
git diff	Show unstaged changes (working tree vs index)
git diff --staged	Show staged changes (index vs last commit)
git diff main..feature	Compare two branches
git rm file	Remove a file from tracking + delete it from disk
git mv old new	Rename or move a file (stages the change)

Branching & Merging

Command	What it does
git branch	List local branches (* marks the current one)
git branch -a	List all branches (local + remote)
git branch name	Create a new branch from HEAD
git branch -d name	Delete a branch (safe: prevents unmerged deletion)
git branch -D name	Force-delete a branch (even if unmerged)
git switch name	Switch to an existing branch (Git 2.23+)
git switch -c name	Create and switch to a new branch
git checkout name	Switch to an existing branch (classic syntax)
git checkout -b name	Create and switch to a new branch (classic)
git merge name	Merge the named branch into the current branch
git merge --no-ff name	Merge with a merge commit even if fast-forward is possible
git rebase name	Reapply current branch commits on top of the named branch
git rebase -i HEAD~n	Interactive rebase: squash, reword, drop, or reorder last n commits
git cherry-pick <hash>	Apply a specific commit from another branch onto the current one

Remote Operations

Command	What it does
git clone <url>	Clone a remote repository into a new directory
git remote -v	List remote repositories and their URLs
git remote add origin <url>	Add a remote named "origin"
git fetch origin	Download objects and refs from a remote (does NOT merge)
git pull	Fetch + merge (shortcut: git fetch + git merge)
git pull --rebase	Fetch + rebase instead of merge (cleaner history)
git push	Push local commits to the upstream branch
git push -u origin branch	Push + set upstream tracking for the first time
git push --force-with-lease	Force push safely (refuses if remote has new commits)
git push origin --delete branch	Delete a remote branch

Undoing Changes

Command	What it does
git restore file	Discard unstaged changes in a file (Git 2.23+)
git restore --staged file	Unstage a file (keep changes in working tree)
git reset HEAD~1	Undo the last commit, keep changes staged
git reset --soft HEAD~1	Undo last commit, keep changes staged (same as above)
git reset --mixed HEAD~1	Undo last commit, unstage changes (default mode)
git reset --hard HEAD~1	Undo last commit AND discard changes entirely
git revert <hash>	Create a new commit that undoes the given commit (safe for public history)
git clean -fd	Remove untracked files and directories

Stashing

Command	What it does
git stash	Save uncommitted changes and revert to clean working tree
git stash push -m "name"	Stash with a descriptive message
git stash list	List all stashes
git stash pop	Apply the latest stash and remove it from the stash list
git stash apply	Apply the latest stash without removing it
git stash drop	Delete the latest stash
git stash clear	Delete all stashes

Inspection & History

Command	What it does
git log	Show commit history (most recent first)
git log --oneline --graph	Compact log with ASCII graph of branches
git log --oneline -n 5	Show only the last 5 commits
git log --author="name"	Filter commits by author
git log --grep="fix"	Search commit messages for "fix"
git show <hash>	Show the details of a specific commit (diff + metadata)
git blame file	Show who last modified each line of a file
git shortlog -sn	Summary of commits per author
git tag	List all tags
git tag v1.0.0	Create a lightweight tag at HEAD
git describe --tags	Show the nearest tag relative to HEAD

Typical Day Workflow

git switch -c feature/login

Create a new feature branch from main

git add . && git commit -m "add login form"

Make changes, stage, and commit on the feature branch

git push -u origin feature/login

Push the feature branch to GitHub/GitLab

git switch main && git pull

Switch back to main and get the latest changes

git merge feature/login

Merge the completed feature into main

git push

Push the updated main to the remote

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