Git Command Cheat Sheet: Basics, Branching, Remotes & Workflows

This article provides a structured reference for daily Git operations, organized into twelve sections from basic setup to advanced workflows.

1. Basic Operations

git init

– initialize a local repository. git clone <remote URL> – clone a remote repository locally. Example: git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git.

2. File Operations

git status

– view file status. git add <file path> – stage a specific file. git add . – stage all changes. git reset <file path> – unstage a file. git checkout -- <file> – discard working‑directory changes (irreversible, use with caution).

3. Commits and History

git commit -m "message"

– commit staged changes. git commit -am "message" – commit tracked files directly from working directory. git commit --amend – modify the last commit. git log – view commit history. git log --oneline – compact one‑line view. git log --graph – visualize branch merge graph. git diff – compare working directory with staging area. git diff HEAD – compare working directory with latest commit.

Best practice: write clear commit messages (e.g., "Fix login validation bug" instead of "Update").

4. Branch Management

Create and Switch Branches

git branch <branch name>

– create branch. git checkout <branch name> – switch branch. git checkout -b <branch name> – create and switch. Example: git checkout -b feature/login. git branch -d <branch name> – delete merged branch. git branch -D <branch name> – force delete unmerged branch.

Merge and Rebase

git merge <source branch>

– merge source into current branch. git rebase <target branch> – rebase current branch onto target.

Pitfall: during merge conflicts, manually edit conflicted files (markers

<<<<<<< ======= >>>>>>>

), then git add and git commit.

5. Remote Repositories

Remote Management

git remote add <alias> <remote URL>

– add remote. Example: git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git. git remote -v – list remotes. git remote rename <old> <new> – rename remote.

Push, Pull, Fetch

git push <remote> <branch>

– push branch to remote. git push -u <remote> <local branch> – push and set upstream. git pull <remote> <branch> – fetch and merge. git pull --rebase – fetch and rebase (avoids extra merge commits). git fetch <remote> – fetch only, no merge.

Pitfall: git pull can create unnecessary merges; prefer git fetch + git rebase.

6. Undo and Rollback

Undo Commits

git reset --hard <commit hash>

– hard reset to commit (discards uncommitted changes, only for local unpushed commits). git reset <commit hash> – soft reset, keep changes in working directory. git revert <commit hash> – create a new commit that undoes the specified commit.

Stash Changes

git stash

– stash current changes. git stash pop – restore latest stash. git stash list – list stashes. git stash drop – delete latest stash.

7. Tag Management

git tag <tag name>

– create lightweight tag. git tag -a <tag name> -m "message" – create annotated tag. git tag – list tags. git push <remote> <tag name> – push tag to remote. Example: git tag v1.0.0.

8. Advanced Tips

Submodules

git submodule add <repo URL> <path>

– add submodule. git submodule update --init – initialize submodules.

Interactive Staging

git add -p

– interactively select hunks to stage.

.gitignore

Create .gitignore in project root with patterns:

node_modules/
*.log
dist/

9. Common Error Handling

Merge Conflicts

git status

– identify conflicted files.

Manually edit files, resolve

<<<<<<< ======= >>>>>>>

markers. git add <conflicted file>. git commit.

Push Rejected

git pull --rebase

– fetch remote changes and rebase. git push – push again.

Recover Lost Commits

git reflog

– view operation log. git checkout <commit hash> – switch to the lost commit.

10. Workflow Recommendations

GitHub Flow

Create branch: git checkout -b feature/new.

Commit changes: git commit -am "Add new feature".

Push branch: git push origin feature/new.

Create Pull Request.

After review and merge, delete branch.

Git Flow

git flow init

– initialize Git Flow. git flow feature start <feature name> – start feature branch. git flow release start v1.0.0 – start release branch. git flow hotfix start <hotfix name> – start hotfix branch.

11. Common Aliases

Add to .gitconfig:

[alias]
  co = checkout
  ci = commit
  st = status
  br = branch
  lg = log --color --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset' --abbrev-commit

12. Branch Naming Conventions

Feature: feature/xxx or feat/xxx.

Bug fix: fix/xxx or bugfix/xxx.

Hotfix: hotfix/xxx.

Documentation: docs/xxx.

Test: test/xxx.

Mastering these commands covers 90% of daily Git scenarios. Practice in real projects and use git help <command> for official documentation.