Master Git: From Init to Branching, Merging, and Rebase

Git Repository Basics

Git stores project history as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) inside a .git directory. The repository contains all files and metadata, and snapshots are created by staging changes in the index.

Essential Commands

Initialize : git init creates or re‑initializes a repository.

Status : git status shows staged, modified and untracked files.

Add : git add <files> or git add -A stages changes for the next commit.

Commit : git commit -m "message" records a snapshot of the index; git commit -a stages and commits tracked files in one step.

Remote : git remote add origin <url> defines a remote repository.

Pull : git pull origin <branch> fetches and merges remote changes.

Push : git push origin <branch> uploads local commits to the remote.

Branch Management

Create a branch: git branch <name> Switch to a branch: git checkout <name> or git checkout -b <name> (create and switch).

List branches:

git branch

Merging

To integrate work from another branch, ensure you are on the target branch (e.g., git checkout master) and run: git merge <source-branch> The merge creates a commit with two parents, preserving both histories.

Rebasing

Rebase rewrites a series of commits onto a new base, producing a linear history:

git checkout <feature-branch></code>
<code>git rebase master

After rebasing, the feature branch appears as if it were developed sequentially after master.

Typical Workflow Example

Install Git and open Git Bash in the project directory.

Initialize: git init Create files (e.g., edureka1.txt, edureka2.txt) and check status.

Stage all files: git add -A Commit: git commit -m "Add initial files" Set remote: git remote add origin <url> Pull latest changes: git pull origin master Push commits:

git push origin master

Advanced Tips

Archive a snapshot: git archive master --format=zip --output=../repo.zip Create a bundle for offline transfer: git bundle create ../repo.bundle master Stash uncommitted changes: git stash, view with git status, reapply with git stash apply.

Force push when non‑fast‑forward:

git push <remote> --force