Essential Git Commands Every Developer Should Master

Introduction

The article gathers high‑frequency Git commands that the author uses in daily projects, focusing on practical usage rather than exhaustive documentation. It assumes Git version 2.24.0 and targets developers who need concrete examples for real business scenarios.

Viewing History

git log displays a concise one‑line history:

# Output a compact log
# Equivalent to: git log --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit
git log --oneline
# Show the last 5 commits
git log --oneline -5
# Graphical view similar to GUI tools
git log --graph --date=relative --pretty=tformat:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(auto)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%an %ad)%Creset'

Working Directory Status

git status shows the current state of the working tree. Short format is available via git status -s. The command can also display stash information with --show-stash.

Branch and Commit Navigation

git checkout switches to a specific commit, branch, or tag. Common forms include:

git checkout dev

git checkout origin/test

git checkout --track origin/feature-test

git checkout -b testbranch

git checkout -- file

git checkout .

git checkout -

Creating Commits

Typical commit commands:

git commit --amend --no-edit

git commit --no-verify -m "xxx"

git commit -m "xxx"

git commit -t templateFile

git commit -F

Undoing Changes

git reset moves the HEAD pointer. Frequently used options:

git reset --hard commit_sha1

git reset --soft commit_sha1

git reset --soft HEAD~1

git reset --mixed commit_sha1

git reset --merge commit_sha1

git reset --keep commit_sha1

git revert creates a new commit that undoes a previous change while preserving history:

git revert commit-sha1

Rebasing

Interactive rebasing cleans up commit history. Common commands:

git rebase -i git-sha1|branch(HEAD)

git rebase --continue

git rebase --skip

git rebase --abort

Rebase action keywords:

pick – keep the commit

edit – amend the commit after checking it out

reword – change the commit message

squash – combine with the previous commit

fixup – combine without keeping the message

drop – discard the commit

Merging and Pulling

git merge integrates changes without fast‑forward: git merge --no-ff branchName git pull fetches and integrates remote changes. Using --rebase (or -r) keeps a linear history, while the default performs a fast‑forward merge that creates a new commit.

Pushing Changes

Common push variations:

git push origin localbranch

git push -d origin branchName

git push --tags

git push --follow-tags

git push -f origin branchName

git push --force-with-lease

Remote Management

Managing multiple repository URLs:

git remote add origin url

git remote add github url

git remote set-url origin new_url

Branch Operations

Typical branch commands focus on deletion, renaming, and upstream tracking:

git branch -d branchName

git branch -M oldBranch newNameBranch

git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/xxx

git branch --set-upstream-to origin xxx

Stashing Work

Stash saves unfinished work. Adding a descriptive message is recommended.

git stash save stashName

git stash -u save stashName

git stash push -m "changed xx"

git stash apply stash@{0}

git stash pop stash@{0}

git stash list

git stash clear

git stash drop stash@{0}

git stash show stash@{0}

Reflog

git reflog records all actions (rebase, merge, reset, etc.) allowing recovery of lost commits:

git reflog -5

Cherry‑Pick

Selective commit copying from other branches:

git cherry-pick commit-sha1

git cherry-pick master~4 master~2

git cherry-pick startGitSha1..endGitSha1

Removing Files

Common git rm usage for updating .gitignore:

git rm --cache -- file

git rm -r --cached .

git add .

git commit -m "xxx"

Repository Information

git rev-parse extracts repository details useful in scripts:

git rev-parse --short HEAD --verify

git rev-parse --show-toplevel

git rev-parse --git-dir

git rev-parse --all

Diffing Changes

git diff shows file differences; the author prefers GUI tools for larger changes.

Conclusion

Mastering these high‑frequency Git commands equips developers with a solid workflow for version control, while many commands echo familiar Linux patterns. The list is not exhaustive, and readers are encouraged to share additional tips or corrections.