Git Basic Commands Guide

This guide provides an overview of the most commonly used Git commands for version control. It's a great reference for beginners and intermediate developers.

Table of Contents

1. Setting Up Git
2. Creating and Cloning Repositories
3. Committing Changes
4. Working with Branches
5. Pushing and Pulling Changes
6. Viewing Changes
7. Git Remotes
8. Advanced Git Commands
9. Git Best Practices
10. Troubleshooting

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Setting Up Git

Before using Git, configure your username and email:

# Set your username
git config --global user.name "Your Name"

# Set your email
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

# Check your configuration
git config --list

# Set default branch name
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Creating and Cloning Repositories

# Initialize a new repository
git init

# Clone an existing repository
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git

# Clone a specific branch
git clone -b branch-name https://github.com/username/repository.git

# Clone to a specific directory
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git directory-name

Committing Changes

# Check status of working directory
git status

# Add files to staging area
git add filename.txt    # Add specific file
git add .              # Add all files
git add *.js          # Add all JavaScript files

# Commit changes
git commit -m "Your commit message"

# Add and commit in one command
git commit -am "Your commit message"

# Amend last commit
git commit --amend -m "New commit message"

Working with Branches

# List all branches
git branch            # Local branches
git branch -a         # All branches including remote
git branch -r         # Remote branches only

# Create new branch
git branch branch-name

# Switch to branch
git checkout branch-name
git switch branch-name    # New Git syntax

# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b branch-name
git switch -c branch-name # New Git syntax

# Delete branch
git branch -d branch-name  # Safe delete
git branch -D branch-name  # Force delete

# Merge branch
git merge branch-name

Pushing and Pulling Changes

# Push changes
git push origin branch-name
git push -u origin branch-name  # Set upstream branch

# Pull changes
git pull origin branch-name

# Fetch changes
git fetch origin
git fetch --all

# Update forked repository
git remote add upstream https://github.com/original/repository.git
git fetch upstream
git merge upstream/main

Viewing Changes

# View commit history
git log
git log --oneline
git log --graph --oneline --decorate

# View changes in working directory
git diff
git diff --staged  # View staged changes

# View specific commit
git show commit-hash

# View file history
git blame filename

Git Remotes

# List remotes
git remote -v

# Add remote
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git

# Change remote URL
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/username/new-repository.git

# Remove remote
git remote remove origin

Advanced Git Commands

# Stash changes
git stash
git stash pop
git stash list
git stash drop

# Reset commits
git reset --soft HEAD~1    # Undo last commit, keep changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1    # Undo last commit, discard changes

# Rebase
git rebase main
git rebase -i HEAD~3      # Interactive rebase

# Cherry-pick
git cherry-pick commit-hash

Git Best Practices

1. Commit Messages

   • Use present tense ("Add feature" not "Added feature")
   • Be descriptive but concise
   • Start with a capital letter
   • Keep under 50 characters for the subject line

2. Branching Strategy

   main        # Production-ready code
   ├── develop # Development branch
   ├── feature/# Feature branches
   ├── hotfix/ # Urgent fixes
   └── release/# Release preparation

3. Regular Updates

   git fetch origin
   git rebase origin/main

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Merge Conflicts

   # Abort merge
   git merge --abort
   
   # Resolve conflicts manually, then
   git add .
   git commit -m "Resolve merge conflicts"

2. Wrong Branch

   # Save changes
   git stash
   
   # Switch branch
   git checkout correct-branch
   
   # Apply changes
   git stash pop

3. Undo Last Commit

   # Keep changes
   git reset --soft HEAD~1
   
   # Discard changes
   git reset --hard HEAD~1

Essential .gitignore Contents

# Dependencies
node_modules/
vendor/

# Environment files
.env
.env.local

# Build output
dist/
build/

# IDE files
.vscode/
.idea/

# System files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Logs
*.log

Additional Resources

• Official Git Documentation
• GitHub Guides
• Interactive Git Learning
• Pro Git Book

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Remember to always verify your current branch and status before making important changes!