Master Git Basics: 3 Steps, 4 Areas, 5 States and How to Undo Changes

Basic Concepts

Git has existed for over a decade, yet many users still struggle with its workflow. This article simplifies Git to three basic steps (add, commit, push) on a single master branch, ignoring branches and tags for clarity.

Three Steps

Run git add . to stage all changes.

Run git commit -m "comment" to record the staged changes in the local repository.

Run git push to upload the local commits to the remote repository.

Four Areas

Working Area (Working Directory)

Staging Area (Stage)

Local Repository

Remote Repository

Five States

Origin (Unmodified)

Modified

Staged

Committed

Pushed

Inspecting Changes

All inspection uses git diff with different parameters: git diff – compares Working Area vs. Staging Area. git diff --cached – compares Staging Area vs. Local Repository. git diff master origin/master – compares Local Repository vs. Remote Repository.

Undoing Modifications

Modified but Not Staged

To discard changes in the Working Area: git checkout . or

git reset --hard

Staged but Not Committed

To move changes back to the Working Area: git reset or git reset --hard After resetting, you may still need git checkout . to return to the unmodified state.

Committed but Not Pushed

To revert the local commit and align with the remote branch:

git reset --hard origin/master

Pushed

If the commit has already been pushed, first reset the local branch, then force‑push the corrected state:

git reset --hard HEAD^

git push -f

Conclusion

All four undo scenarios can be handled with git reset --hard, often combined with git checkout . or a forced push. Mastering these commands eliminates the fear of making irreversible mistakes in Git.