Git Cheatsheet
Set up git (first time only)
git config --global user.name "Your Name" # set your name on commits
git config --global user.email "you@email.com" # set your email on commits
git config --global core.editor "vim" # set default editor
git config --list # show all current config
Start a repo
git init # turn the current folder into a git repo
git clone <url> # download a remote repo to your machine
git clone <url> my-folder # clone into a specific folder name
Check what changed
git status # what files have changed, what is staged?
git diff # show unstaged changes (what you changed but not added)
git diff --staged # show staged changes (what will be in the next commit)
git diff main..feature # compare two branches
Stage and commit
git add file.txt # stage one file for commit
git add . # stage everything in the current directory
git add -p # interactively choose which changes to stage (hunk by hunk)
git commit -m "your message" # commit staged changes with a message
git commit -am "your message" # stage all tracked files and commit in one step
git commit --amend # edit the last commit message (or add forgotten files)
Sync with remote
git remote -v # show what remotes are configured
git remote add origin <url> # connect your local repo to a remote
git fetch # download remote changes without merging them
git pull # fetch + merge remote changes into current branch
git pull --rebase # fetch + rebase instead of merge (cleaner history)
git push # push current branch to remote
git push -u origin main # push and set the upstream (first push to a branch)
git push --force-with-lease # force push but refuse if remote changed (safer)
Branches
git branch # list all local branches
git branch -a # list all branches including remote
git branch feature-x # create a new branch (stay on current branch)
git switch feature-x # switch to a branch
git switch -c feature-x # create a new branch and switch to it
git checkout -b feature-x # older syntax for: create + switch
git merge feature-x # merge feature-x into current branch
git rebase main # replay your commits on top of main (cleaner than merge)
git branch -d feature-x # delete a branch (safe: won't delete unmerged)
git branch -D feature-x # force delete a branch
git push origin --delete feature-x # delete branch on remote
Undo mistakes
git restore file.txt # discard unstaged changes to a file (undo edits)
git restore --staged file.txt # unstage a file (keep the changes, just remove from staging)
git revert <commit-hash> # create a new commit that undoes a specific commit (safe)
git reset --soft HEAD~1 # undo last commit, keep changes staged
git reset --mixed HEAD~1 # undo last commit, keep changes but unstage them
git reset --hard HEAD~1 # undo last commit and throw away all changes (destructive)
git stash # temporarily shelve your changes (clean working tree)
git stash pop # bring back shelved changes
git stash list # show all stashed changes
git stash drop # delete the most recent stash
Inspect history
git log # show commit history
git log --oneline # one line per commit (compact)
git log --oneline --graph # visual branch graph
git log --oneline -20 # last 20 commits
git log -- file.txt # history of a specific file
git show <commit-hash> # show what changed in a specific commit
git blame file.txt # who changed each line of a file and when
git reflog # history of everything HEAD has pointed to (your safety net)
Tags
git tag # list all tags
git tag v1.0.0 # create a lightweight tag at current commit
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release" # create an annotated tag with a message
git push origin v1.0.0 # push a specific tag to remote
git push origin --tags # push all tags to remote
git tag -d v1.0.0 # delete a tag locally
Common patterns
# Start a new feature
git switch main && git pull
git switch -c feature/my-feature
# Sync a feature branch with latest main
git switch main && git pull
git switch feature/my-feature
git rebase main
# Undo a bad push (creates a reverting commit, does not rewrite history)
git revert <commit-hash>
git push