Master Git Basics: From git init to Advanced Branch Management

Introduction

Git is a distributed version‑control system used daily for code changes, pushes and pull‑request reviews. This guide presents essential and some lesser‑known Git commands to improve workflow efficiency.

Initialize a new repository

Create a repository in the current directory: git init Or create it directly in a specific path: git init ~/Desktop/Test The command creates a hidden .git directory that stores all version‑control metadata.

Check repository status

Show the state of files (untracked, modified, staged, committed):

git status

Stage files

Stage all changes: git add . Stage a single file:

git add file.py

Unstage files

Move all staged files back to the working tree: git reset . Unstage a specific file:

git reset <filename>

Commit changes

Record a snapshot of the staged files with a descriptive message:

git commit -m "<message>"

View commit history

Display the commit log:

git log

Undo a commit

Revert the most recent commit (hard reset to the previous commit):

git reset --hard HEAD^

Branch management

Create a new branch: git branch <new-branch-name> List local branches: git branch List all branches, including remote: git branch -a Delete a branch (use -D to force delete an unmerged branch):

git branch -d <branch-name>

Checkout a branch

Switch to an existing branch: git checkout <branch-name> Create and switch to a new branch in one step:

git checkout -b <new-branch>

Push changes to a remote repository

Upload local commits to a remote (e.g., origin):

git push <remote> <branch-name>

Pull changes from upstream

Fetch and integrate the latest changes from a remote branch:

git pull <remote> <branch-name>

Stash work

Temporarily save uncommitted changes: git stash List stashed entries: git stash list Apply the most recent stash and remove it from the stash list: git stash pop Apply a stash without removing it:

git stash apply

Merge branches

Integrate changes from another branch into the current HEAD: git merge <branch-to-merge> If merge conflicts occur, resolve them manually, stage the resolved files, and finalize with git commit.