Master Essential Git Commands: stash, reset‑soft, cherry‑pick, revert & reflog

Preface

Using Git for version control is a core skill for developers, yet many only know the basics of commit, pull, and push. This guide shares practical commands that boost efficiency and solve common problems.

stash

Official documentation: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-stash Git tutorial:

https://www.bookstack.cn/read/git-tutorial/docs-commands-git-stash.md

Description

Official explanation: use git stash to record the current state of the working directory and index while returning to a clean working tree.

The stash command saves uncommitted changes so the working directory becomes clean.

Use Cases

When you need to switch branches urgently (e.g., to fix a production bug) but have uncommitted changes, git stash lets you store those changes without committing them.

Command Usage

git stash

To restore later:

git stash apply

Related Commands

# Save current uncommitted changes
git stash
# Save with a message
git stash save "your message"
# List all stash entries
git stash list
# Clear all stash entries
git stash clear
# Apply the most recent stash
git stash apply
# Apply and drop the most recent stash
git stash pop
# Drop the most recent stash
git stash drop

When multiple stashes exist, list them with git stash list and apply a specific one:

git stash apply stash@{1}

reset --soft

Official documentation: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-reset Git tutorial:

https://www.bookstack.cn/read/git-tutorial/docs-commands-git-reset.md

Description

Resets the HEAD to a previous commit without touching the index or working tree, keeping the changes staged.

It rolls back a commit while preserving its changes in the staging area.

Use Cases

Useful when you accidentally commit something you didn’t intend to, or when you need to split a large commit into smaller, logical pieces.

Command Usage

# Undo the most recent commit but keep changes staged
git reset --soft HEAD^

For already‑pushed commits, you can force‑push after resetting:

git push -f

cherry-pick

Official documentation: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-cherry-pick Git tutorial:

http://www.ruanyifeng.com/blog/2020/04/git-cherry-pick.html

Description

Applies the changes introduced by existing commits onto the current branch, creating new commits.

It copies one or more existing commits to another branch.

Use Cases

When a specific feature needs to be released urgently, or when a branch has become polluted and you want to cherry‑pick clean commits onto a fresh branch.

Command Usage

Single commit

git cherry-pick <commitHash>

Multiple commits

git cherry-pick commit1 commit2

Or a range:

git cherry-pick commit1^..commit2

Handling Conflicts

If conflicts occur, resolve them, stage the changes, then continue: git cherry-pick --continue To abort the operation: git cherry-pick --abort To quit while keeping already‑applied commits:

git cherry-pick --quit

revert

Official documentation:

https://git-scm.com/docs/git-revert

Description

Creates a new commit that undoes the changes introduced by an existing commit (or commits), requiring a clean working tree.

It is useful for quickly rolling back a problematic change without rewriting history.

Use Cases

When a released feature causes bugs and you need to revert it without affecting other teammates' work.

Command Usage

Reverting a regular commit

git revert 21dcd937fe555f58841b17466a99118deb489212

Reverting a merge commit

git revert -m 1 <commitHash>

After reverting, further merges of the same changes may be ignored unless you revert the revert.

reflog

Official documentation:

https://git-scm.com/docs/git-reflog

Description

Manages the reference log, recording updates to the tip of branches and other references.

It acts as a powerful “undo” tool, letting you recover lost commits after mistaken resets.

Use Cases

If you accidentally reset too far and lost commits, git reflog shows the previous HEAD positions so you can restore them.

Command Usage

git reflog

Identify the desired commit hash from the log and reset back to it:

git reset --hard <commitHash>

Setting Git Short Commands

Two ways to create aliases for faster typing: git config --global alias.ps push Or edit ~/.gitconfig and add:

[alias]
    co = checkout
    ps = push
    pl = pull
    mer = merge --no-ff
    cp = cherry-pick

Then use, for example:

git cp <commitHash>

Summary

The article highlights five practical Git commands and how to set short aliases: stash: store temporary changes. reset --soft: roll back a commit while keeping changes staged. cherry-pick: copy commits. revert: undo a commit’s changes. reflog: view the history of reference updates.

Understanding these commands and customizing aliases can greatly improve daily development efficiency.