Common Git Commands: Branch, Stash, Reset, Tag, and General Operations

Branch Operations

git branch – create a new branch.

git branch -b – create and switch to a new branch.

git checkout – switch branches.

git branch – list all branches.

git branch -v – show the last commit on each branch.

git branch -vv – view detailed information of the current branch.

git branch -b <branch> origin/<branch> – create a local tracking branch from a remote branch.

git branch --merged – list branches that have been merged into the current branch.

git branch --no-merged – list branches that have not been merged.

git branch -d <branch> – delete a local branch.

git branch -D <branch> – force‑delete a local branch.

git branch origin :<branch> – delete a remote branch.

git merge <branch> – merge the specified branch into the current one.

Stash Operations

git stash – stash current changes.

git stash apply – apply the most recent stash without removing it.

git stash pop – apply the most recent stash and delete it.

git stash list – list all stashes.

git stash drop <stash@{n}> – remove a specific stash.

git stash clear – clear all stashes.

Reset (Rollback) Operations

git reset --hard HEAD^ – revert to the previous commit.

git reset --hard <commit_id> – revert to a specific commit.

git checkout -- <file> – discard changes in a file (restores from index or last commit).

git reset HEAD <file> – unstage a file, moving it back to the working directory.

Tag Operations

git tag <tagname> – create a lightweight tag on the current commit.

git tag <tagname> <commit_id> – tag a specific commit.

git tag -a <tagname> -m "description" – create an annotated tag with a message.

git tag – list all tags.

git show <tagname> – display tag details.

git tag -d <tagname> – delete a local tag.

git push origin <tagname> – push a tag to the remote repository.

git push origin --tags – push all tags.

git push origin :refs/tags/<tagname> – delete a remote tag.

General Operations

git push origin <branch> – push a local branch to the remote.

git rm -r --cached <path> – stop tracking a file or directory.

git reflog – view the reference log of all actions.

git log --graph – display a visual commit graph.

git merge --no-ff -m "merge message" <branch> – perform a non‑fast‑forward merge with a custom message.

git check-ignore -v <file> – show which ignore rule applies to a file.

git add -f <file> – force‑add a file that would otherwise be ignored.

Creating a Project Repository

git init – initialize a new repository.

git remote add origin <url> – link the local repo to a remote.

git pull – fetch and merge from the remote.

git fetch – retrieve all remote branches locally.

Ignoring Files Already Tracked

git update-index --assume-unchanged <file> – ignore changes to a specific tracked file.

git rm -r --cached <path> – remove a file or directory from tracking (useful for ignoring whole directories).

Un‑ignoring Files

git update-index --no-assume-unchanged <file> – stop ignoring a previously ignored file.

Password‑less Pull/Push

git config --global credential.helper store – store credentials to avoid repeated password prompts.