Master the Essential Git Commands: A Complete Cheat Sheet

Common Git Commands List

Generally, remembering six commands is enough for daily use, but mastering Git may require 60‑100 commands.

Name Explanations

Workspace: working directory Index / Stage: staging area Repository: local repository Remote: remote repository

1. Initialize Repository

# In the current directory, create a new Git repository
$ git init

# Create a new directory and initialize it as a Git repository
$ git init [project-name]

# Clone a project with its full history
$ git clone [url]

2. Configuration

Git configuration is stored in .gitconfig, which can be global (in the user home directory) or local (in the project directory).

# Show current Git configuration
$ git config --list

# Edit Git configuration file
$ git config -e [--global]

# Set user name for commits
$ git config [--global] user.name "[name]"

# Set user email for commits
$ git config [--global] user.email "[email address]"

# Enable colored output
$ git config --global color.ui true
$ git config --global color.status auto
$ git config --global color.diff auto
$ git config --global color.branch auto
$ git config --global color.interactive auto

# Remove proxy configuration
$ git config --global --unset http.proxy

3. Add / Remove Files

# Add specific files to the staging area
$ git add [file1] [file2] ...

# Add an entire directory (including sub‑directories)
$ git add [dir]

# Add all changes in the current directory
$ git add .

# Interactive add (review each change before staging)
$ git add -p

# Remove files from both working directory and staging area
$ git rm [file1] [file2] ...

# Stop tracking a file but keep it in the working directory
$ git rm --cached [file]

# Rename a file and stage the rename
$ git mv [file-original] [file-renamed]

4. Commit Changes

# Commit staged changes with a message
$ git commit -m [message]

# Commit specific files directly from the staging area
$ git commit [file1] [file2] ... -m [message]

# Commit all changes in the working directory (skip staging)
$ git commit -a

# Show diff while committing
$ git commit -v

# Add and commit in one step
$ git commit -am 'message'

# Amend the previous commit (e.g., to edit the message)
$ git commit --amend -m [message]

# Amend previous commit and include additional file changes
$ git commit --amend [file1] [file2] ...

5. Branch Management

# List local branches
$ git branch

# List remote branches
$ git branch -r

# List all branches
$ git branch -a

# Create a new branch (stay on current branch)
$ git branch [branch-name]

# Create and switch to a new branch
$ git checkout -b [branch]

# Create a branch pointing to a specific commit
$ git branch [branch] [commit]

# Create a branch that tracks a remote branch
$ git branch --track [branch] [remote-branch]

# Switch to an existing branch
$ git checkout [branch-name]

# Switch to the previous branch
$ git checkout -

# Set upstream tracking for a branch
$ git branch --set-upstream [branch] [remote-branch]

# Merge a branch into the current branch
$ git merge [branch]

# Cherry‑pick a specific commit
$ git cherry-pick [commit]

# Delete a local branch
$ git branch -d [branch-name]

# Delete a remote branch
$ git push origin --delete [branch-name]
$ git branch -dr [remote/branch]

# Checkout a tag or specific version
$ git checkout v2.0

# Checkout a file from a specific commit
$ git checkout -- README

6. Tag Operations

# List all tags
$ git tag

# Create a tag on the current commit
$ git tag [tag]

# Create a tag on a specific commit
$ git tag [tag] [commit]

# Delete a local tag
$ git tag -d [tag]

# Delete a remote tag
$ git push origin :refs/tags/[tagName]

# Show tag details
$ git show [tag]

# Push a tag to a remote
$ git push [remote] [tag]

# Push all tags
$ git push [remote] --tags

# Create a branch from a tag
$ git checkout -b [branch] [tag]

7. Inspect Repository

# Show changed files
$ git status

# Show commit history
$ git log

# Show log with file statistics
$ git log --stat

# Search commit history by keyword
$ git log -S [keyword]

# Show concise log for a range
$ git log [tag] HEAD --pretty=format:%s

# Show commits affecting a file (including renames)
$ git log --follow [file]
$ git whatchanged [file]

# Show diffs for a file
$ git log -p [file]

# Show last 5 commits in one‑line format
$ git log -5 --oneline

# Show contributors sorted by commit count
$ git shortlog -sn

# Show who changed a file and when
$ git blame [file]

# Show diff between staging area and working directory
$ git diff

# Show diff between staging area and last commit
$ git diff --cached [file]

# Show diff between working directory and HEAD
$ git diff HEAD

# Show diff between two branches
$ git diff [first-branch]...[second-branch]

# Show lines added today
$ git diff --shortstat "@{0 day ago}"

# Show metadata and changes for a specific commit
$ git show [commit]

# Show only changed file names for a commit
$ git show --name-only [commit]

# Show file content at a specific commit
$ git show [commit]:[filename]

# Show recent reflog entries
$ git reflog

8. Remote Synchronization

# Fetch all changes from a remote
$ git fetch [remote]

# Show remote URLs
$ git remote -v

# Show information about a remote
$ git remote show [remote]

# Add a new remote
$ git remote add [shortname] [url]

# Pull changes from a remote branch and merge
$ git pull [remote] [branch]

# Push a local branch to a remote
$ git push [remote] [branch]

# Force push (overwrite remote)
$ git push [remote] --force

# Push all branches
$ git push [remote] --all

9. Undo Operations

# Restore a file from the staging area to the working directory
$ git checkout [file]

# Restore a file from a specific commit
$ git checkout [commit] [file]

# Restore all files from the staging area
$ git checkout .

# Reset a file in the staging area to match the last commit
$ git reset [file]

# Reset both staging area and working directory to last commit
$ git reset --hard

# Reset current branch to a specific commit (keep working tree)
$ git reset [commit]

# Reset current branch and working tree to a specific commit
$ git reset --hard [commit]

# Keep working tree while moving HEAD
$ git reset --keep [commit]

# Revert a specific commit (create a new commit that undoes it)
$ git revert [commit]

# Stash uncommitted changes
$ git stash
$ git stash pop

10. Miscellaneous Commands

# Configure user name and email globally
$ git config --global user.name "xxx"
$ git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

# Show colored status output
$ git config --global color.ui true

# Archive repository into a compressed package
$ git archive

# Other useful commands
$ git gc
$ git fsck