Git

Git Cheatsheet

Quick reference of Git commands by group — copy & paste when you need it.

Git Basics

git init
Create an empty Git repo in the current directory. Run with no arguments to init where you are.
git clone [repo]
Clone a repo to your machine. The repo can be on the local FS or remote over HTTP/SSH.
git config user.name [name]
Set the author for commits. Add --global to apply to every repo.
git add [path]
Stage changes to prepare a commit. Use . to stage all, -p to stage hunk by hunk.
git commit -m "msg"
Commit the staged snapshot with an inline message.
git status
Show staged / unstaged / untracked files in the working tree.

Rewriting Git History

git commit --amend
Replace the latest commit with the staged changes merged in. Stage nothing → just edit the message.
git rebase [base]
Rebase the current branch onto base. base can be a commit ID, branch, tag, or HEAD~N.
git rebase -i HEAD~N
Interactive rebase — squash, reword, drop, edit each commit.
git reflog
History of every HEAD change — a lifesaver after an accidental reset --hard.
git reset --hard [commit]
Clear staging + reset the working tree to the given commit. Dangerous.

Fix branches, commits and clean up history

Git Branches

git branch
List local branches. Add -a to see remotes too.
git switch -c [name]
Create and check out a new branch (replaces git checkout -b).
git switch [name]
Switch to another branch.
git branch -d [name]
Delete a merged local branch. -D to force-delete.
git push origin --delete [name]
Delete a branch on the remote.

Merge & Rebase

git merge [branch]
Merge the given branch into the current one.
git merge --squash [branch]
Combine all of a branch’s commits into a single commit.
git rebase main
Replay the current branch on top of main for a straight history.
git rebase --continue
Continue the rebase after resolving conflicts. --abort to cancel.
git cherry-pick [hash]
Bring a specific commit from another branch into the current one.

Inspect & Compare

git log --oneline --graph --all
A compact commit-history graph for all branches.
git log -p [file]
Change history of a single file with diffs.
git diff
Compare the working tree with staging.
git diff --staged
Compare staging with the latest commit.
git blame [file]
See who changed which line, in which commit.
git show [hash]
Show the full contents of a commit.

Stash & Restore

Undo Changes

git reset --soft HEAD~1
Drop the latest commit, keeping staged changes.
git reset --mixed HEAD~1
Drop the commit + unstage (the default of git reset).
git reset --hard HEAD~1
Drop the commit + discard all changes. Be careful!
git revert [hash]
Create an inverse commit to undo an old one — safe for shared branches.
git clean -fd
Remove untracked files/folders. -n to dry-run first.

Remote

git remote -v
List remote URLs.
git remote add origin [url]
Add a remote named origin.
git fetch [remote]
Download objects from the remote without merging.
git pull --rebase
Fetch + rebase the current branch onto upstream — straight history.
git push origin [branch]
Push a branch to the remote.
git push --force-with-lease
Safe force push — fails if the remote has new commits.

Tags & Releases

git tag v1.0.0
Create a lightweight tag at HEAD.
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "release"
Annotated tag (carries metadata, recommended for releases).
git push origin v1.0.0
Push a specific tag to the remote.
git push origin --tags
Push all tags.
git tag -d v1.0.0
Delete a local tag.

Setup

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
Configure the global author name.
git config --global user.email "you@x.com"
Configure the author email.
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
Set the default branch for git init.
git config --global pull.rebase true
Make pull use rebase by default instead of merge.
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
Use VS Code as the editor for commit messages.