Git Cheat Sheet - Essential Commands for Developers

A comprehensive guide to the most commonly used Git commands that every developer should know. This cheat sheet covers everything from basic operations to advanced workflows.

Configuration

Set your identity

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

View configuration

git config --list
git config user.name

Set default editor

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"  # VS Code
git config --global core.editor "vim"          # Vim

Set default branch name

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Repository Setup

Initialize a new repository

git init
git init project-name

Clone an existing repository

git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git custom-name
git clone -b branch-name https://github.com/user/repo.git

Basic Commands

Check repository status

git status
git status -s  # Short format

Add files to staging

git add filename.txt
git add .                    # Add all files
git add *.js                 # Add all JS files
git add -A                   # Add all changes
git add -p                   # Interactive staging

Commit changes

git commit -m "Commit message"
git commit -am "Add and commit"  # Add and commit tracked files
git commit --amend               # Modify last commit
git commit --amend -m "New message"  # Change last commit message

View differences

git diff                     # Unstaged changes
git diff --staged            # Staged changes
git diff HEAD                # All changes since last commit
git diff branch1..branch2    # Differences between branches

Branching

Create and manage branches

git branch                   # List local branches
git branch -a                # List all branches (local + remote)
git branch branch-name       # Create new branch
git branch -d branch-name    # Delete branch (safe)
git branch -D branch-name    # Force delete branch
git branch -m old-name new-name  # Rename branch

Switch branches

git checkout branch-name
git checkout -b new-branch   # Create and switch
git switch branch-name       # Modern alternative
git switch -c new-branch     # Create and switch (modern)

Merge branches

git merge branch-name
git merge --no-ff branch-name    # Create merge commit
git merge --squash branch-name   # Squash commits
git merge --abort                # Abort merge

Rebase

git rebase main
git rebase -i HEAD~3         # Interactive rebase last 3 commits
git rebase --continue        # Continue after resolving conflicts
git rebase --abort           # Abort rebase

Remote Operations

View remotes

git remote
git remote -v                # Show URLs
git remote show origin       # Detailed info

Add/remove remotes

git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git
git remote remove origin
git remote rename old-name new-name
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/user/repo.git

Fetch and pull

git fetch origin
git fetch --all              # Fetch all remotes
git pull                     # Fetch and merge
git pull origin main
git pull --rebase            # Fetch and rebase

Push changes

git push origin branch-name
git push -u origin branch-name   # Set upstream
git push --all                   # Push all branches
git push --tags                  # Push tags
git push --force                 # Force push (dangerous!)
git push --force-with-lease      # Safer force push

Pull from remote and override local changes

git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/main

Stashing

Save and restore changes

git stash                    # Stash changes
git stash save "message"     # Stash with message
git stash -u                 # Include untracked files
git stash list               # List all stashes
git stash show               # Show latest stash
git stash show -p            # Show latest stash with diff
git stash show -p stash@{1}  # Show specific stash

Apply and remove stashes

git stash apply              # Apply latest stash
git stash apply stash@{1}    # Apply specific stash
git stash pop                # Apply and remove latest
git stash drop               # Remove latest stash
git stash drop stash@{1}     # Remove specific stash
git stash clear              # Remove all stashes

Create branch from stash

git stash branch branch-name

Undoing Changes

Unstage files

git reset HEAD -- path/to/file
git reset HEAD -- .          # Unstage all
git restore --staged file    # Modern alternative

Discard changes

git checkout -- file         # Discard working directory changes
git restore file             # Modern alternative
git clean -fd                # Remove untracked files/directories
git clean -fdn               # Dry run

Reset commits

git reset --soft HEAD~1      # Keep changes staged
git reset --mixed HEAD~1     # Keep changes unstaged (default)
git reset --hard HEAD~1      # Discard changes completely
git reset --hard commit-hash # Reset to specific commit

Revert commits

git revert commit-hash       # Create new commit that undoes changes
git revert HEAD              # Revert last commit
git revert HEAD~3..HEAD      # Revert range of commits

Viewing History

View commit history

git log
git log --oneline            # Compact view
git log --graph              # Show branch graph
git log --all --graph --oneline  # Visual branch history
git log -n 5                 # Last 5 commits
git log --author="Name"      # Filter by author
git log --since="2 weeks ago"
git log --until="2023-01-01"
git log --grep="keyword"     # Search commit messages
git log -- file.txt          # Commits affecting file

Show commit details

git show commit-hash
git show HEAD                # Show last commit
git show HEAD~2              # Show commit 2 steps back

View file history

git blame file.txt           # Show who changed each line
git log -p file.txt          # Show changes to file
git log --follow file.txt    # Follow renames

Reference log

git reflog                   # Show all reference updates
git reflog show branch-name

Tagging

Create tags

git tag v1.0.0               # Lightweight tag
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Version 1.0.0"  # Annotated tag
git tag -a v1.0.0 commit-hash  # Tag specific commit

View and manage tags

git tag                      # List tags
git tag -l "v1.*"            # Filter tags
git show v1.0.0              # Show tag details
git tag -d v1.0.0            # Delete local tag
git push origin --delete v1.0.0  # Delete remote tag

Push tags

git push origin v1.0.0
git push origin --tags       # Push all tags

Advanced Commands

Cherry-pick commits

git cherry-pick commit-hash
git cherry-pick commit1 commit2
git cherry-pick --continue
git cherry-pick --abort

Search in repository

git grep "search-term"
git grep -n "search-term"    # Show line numbers
git grep "search-term" main  # Search in specific branch

Bisect (find bugs)

git bisect start
git bisect bad               # Current commit is bad
git bisect good commit-hash  # Known good commit
git bisect reset             # End bisect session

Submodules

git submodule add https://github.com/user/repo.git path
git submodule init
git submodule update
git submodule update --remote

Work with patches

git format-patch -1 HEAD     # Create patch from last commit
git apply patch-file.patch   # Apply patch
git am patch-file.patch      # Apply patch with commit

Troubleshooting

Resolve merge conflicts

git status                   # See conflicted files
# Edit files to resolve conflicts
git add resolved-file.txt
git commit                   # Complete merge
git merge --abort            # Abort merge if needed

Error: You have not concluded your merge (MERGE_HEAD exists)

# Either complete the merge:
git add .
git commit -m "Resolved merge conflicts"

# Or abort the merge:
git merge --abort

Uncommit last changes but keep files

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Remove file from Git but keep locally

git rm --cached filename
git rm -r --cached directory/

Change remote URL

git remote set-url origin https://new-url.git

Sync fork with upstream

git remote add upstream https://github.com/original/repo.git
git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main

Fix “detached HEAD” state

git checkout -b new-branch   # Create branch from current state
# Or return to a branch:
git checkout main

Recover deleted commits

git reflog
git checkout -b recovery-branch commit-hash

Useful Aliases

Add these to your .gitconfig file or use git config --global alias.name 'command':

git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.ci commit
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.unstage 'reset HEAD --'
git config --global alias.last 'log -1 HEAD'
git config --global alias.visual 'log --all --graph --oneline --decorate'

Best Practices

Commit often with clear, descriptive messages
Pull before push to avoid conflicts
Create feature branches for new work
Review changes before committing (git diff)
Don’t force push to shared branches
Use .gitignore to exclude unnecessary files
Keep commits atomic - one logical change per commit
Write meaningful commit messages - explain why, not what

Common Workflows

Feature branch workflow

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b feature/new-feature
# Make changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"
git push -u origin feature/new-feature
# Create pull request, then after merge:
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git branch -d feature/new-feature

Hotfix workflow

git checkout main
git checkout -b hotfix/critical-bug
# Fix the bug
git add .
git commit -m "Fix critical bug"
git checkout main
git merge hotfix/critical-bug
git push origin main
git branch -d hotfix/critical-bug

This cheat sheet covers the essential Git commands you’ll use daily as a developer. Keep it handy for quick reference!