Git Cheatsheet
Git is one of the, if the not the, most popular version control systems available. Originally created by Linus Torvalds to help manage the Linux source code, it's now used by millions of projects across all languages.
Trying to remember all those commands to perform common git tasks can be a bit of a nightmare, so we've created this Git cheat sheet of the most common commands so you can print it out as a quick reference to have at your desk.
Creating Repositories
# create new repository in current directory
git init
# clone a remote repository
git clone [url]
# for example cloning the entire jquery repo locally
git clone https://github.com/jquery/jquery
Branches and Tags
# List all existing branches with the latest commit comment
git branch –av
# Switch your HEAD to branch
git checkout [branch]
# Create a new branch based on your current HEAD
git branch [new-branch]
# Create a new tracking branch based on a remote branch
git checkout --track [remote/branch]
# for example track the remote branch named feature-branch-foo
git checkout --track origin/feature-branch-foo
# Delete a local branch
git branch -d [branch]
# Tag the current commit
git tag [tag-name]
Local Changes
# List all new or modified files - showing which are to staged to be commited and which are not
git status
# View changes between staged files and unstaged changes in files
git diff
# View changes between staged files and the latest committed version
git diff --cached
# only one file add the file name
git diff --cached [file]
# Add all current changes to the next commit
git add [file]
# Remove a file from the next commit
git rm [file]
# Add some changes in < file> to the next commit
# Watch these video's for a demo of the power of git add -p - http://johnkary.net/blog/git-add-p-the-most-powerful-git-feature-youre-not-using-yet/
git add -p [file]
# Commit all local changes in tracked files
git commit –a
git commit -am "An inline commit message"
# Commit previously staged changes
git commit
git commit -m "An inline commit message"
# Unstages the file, but preserve its contents
git reset [file]
Commit History
# Show all commits, starting from the latest
git log
# Show changes over time for a specific file
git log -p [file]
# Show who changed each line in a file, when it was changed and the commit id
git blame -c [file]
Update and Publish
# List all remotes
git remote -v
# Add a new remote at [url] with the given local name
git remote add [localname] [url]
# Download all changes from a remote, but don‘t integrate into them locally
git fetch [remote]
# Download all remote changes and merge them locally
git pull [remote] [branch]
# Publish local changes to a remote
git push [remote] [branch]
# Delete a branch on the remote
git branch -dr [remote/branch]
# Publish your tags to a remote
git push --tags
Merge & Rebase
# Merge [branch] into your current HEAD
git merge [branch]
# Rebase your current HEAD onto [branch]
git rebase [branch]
# Abort a rebase
git rebase –abort
# Continue a rebase after resolving conflicts
git rebase –continue
# Use your configured merge tool to solve conflicts
git mergetool
# Use your editor to manually solve conflicts and (after resolving) mark as resolved
git add <resolved- file>
git rm <resolved- file>
Undo
# Discard all local changes and start working on the current branch from the last commit
git reset --hard HEAD
# Discard local changes to a specific file
git checkout HEAD [file]
# Revert a commit by making a new commit which reverses the given [commit]
git revert [commit]
# Reset your current branch to a previous commit and discard all changes since then
git reset --hard [commit]
# Reset your current branch to a previous commit and preserve all changes as unstaged changes
git reset [commit]
# Reset your current branch to a previous commit and preserve staged local changes
git reset --keep [commit]
Git UI Clients
Of course if you're not a command line fan there's plenty of Git UIs you can use:
Github Desktop - Mac, Windows - free
SourceTree - Mac, Windows - Free
GitKraken - Mac, Windows, Linux - Free
Anything We Missed?
There's plenty more to Git than that just these commands. What commands or workflows did we miss out? Do you have any suggested tips or tricks too? Let us know in the comments below.
