Git Commands

Some Helpful - Less Known Git Commands

Command Number	Explanation	Git Command
1	We all have pressed the miss key while trying to run a command instantly at least one time before. To save our life, we can enable git autocorrection to directly fix the typos with the help of following command:	git config --global help.autocorrect 1
2	We can count the number of commits in our branch-project with the command:	git rev-list --count
3	We can clear unreachable or orphaned git objects from the repository to optimize the use of git repositories, the following command does the job:	git gc --prune=now --aggressive
4	We may want to view a file of another branch while working on the current branch. Git has a super easy and practical command for this purpose. Example usage:	git show main:README.md
5	We can quickly search anything we want to find in a repo with the following example command:	git rev-list --all
6	If you want to test “commit” command without really committing something (for example to test the flow), you can use empty committing:	git commit --allow empty -m 'it works!'
7	You can compare commits with a simple command: git diff	git diff $start_commit..$end_commit -- path/to/file

• The information in this table is credited to the Git Research done by Bahrican Yeşil.
• The sources used in this research are listed below:
  • https://opensource.com/article/20/10/advanced-git-tips
  • https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Customizing-Git-Git-Configuration#_code_help_autocorrect_code
  • https://www.honeybadger.io/blog/git-tricks/
  • https://about.gitlab.com/blog/2020/04/07/15-git-tips-improve-workflow/

Other Useful Git Commands Grouped Under Categories

Setup Commands

• Configuring user information used across all local repositories

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Setup	Sets a name that is identifiable for credit when review version history	git config --global user.name “[firstname lastname]”
Setup	Sets an email address that will be associated with each history marker	git config --global user.email “[valid-email]”
Setup	Sets automatic command line coloring for Git for easy reviewing	git config --global color.ui auto

Setup & Init Commands

• Configuring user information, initializing and cloning repositories

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Setup & Init	Initializes an existing directory as a Git repository	git init
Setup & Init	Retrieves an entire repository from a hosted location via URL	git clone [url]

Stage & Snapshot Commands

• Working with snapshots and the Git staging area

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Stage & Snapshot	Shows modified files in working directory, staged for your next commit	git status
Stage & Snapshot	Adds a file as it looks now to your next commit (stage)	git add [file]
Stage & Snapshot	Unstages a file while retaining the changes in working directory	git reset [file]
Stage & Snapshot	Diff of what is changed but not staged	git diff
Stage & Snapshot	Diff of what is staged but not yet commited	git diff --staged
Stage & Snapshot	Commits your staged content as a new commit snapshot	git commit -m “[descriptive message]”

Branch & Merge Commands

• Isolating work in branches, changing context, and integrating changes

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Branch & Merge	Lists your branches. a * will appear next to the currently active branch	git branch
Branch & Merge	Creates a new branch at the current commit	git branch [branch-name]
Branch & Merge	Switches to another branch and checks it out into your working directory	git checkout
Branch & Merge	Merges the specified branch’s history into the current one	git merge [branch]
Branch & Merge	Shows all commits in the current branch’s history	git log

Inspect & Compare Commands

• Examining logs, diffs and object information

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Inspect & Compare	Shows the commit history for the currently active branch	git log
Inspect & Compare	Shows the commits on branchA that are not on branchB	git log branchB..branchA
Inspect & Compare	Shows the commits that changed file, even across renames	git log --follow [file]
Inspect & Compare	Shows the diff of what is in branchA that is not in branchB	git diff branchB...branchA
Inspect & Compare	Shows any object in Git in human-readable format	git show [SHA]

Path Change Tracking Commands

• Versioning file removes and path changes

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Tracking Path Changes	Deletes the file from project and stage the removal for commit	git rm [file]
Tracking Path Changes	Changes an existing file path and stage the move	git mv [existing-path] [new-path]
Tracking Path Changes	Shows all commit logs with indication of any paths that moved	git log --stat -M

Pattern Ignoring Commands

• Preventing unintentional staging or commiting of files

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Ignoring Patterns	Saves a file with desired patterns as .gitignore with either direct string matches or wildcard globs.	logs /.notes pattern/
Ignoring Patterns	System wide ignore pattern for all local repositories	git config --global core.excludesfile [file]

Share & Update Commands

• Retrieving updates from another repository and updating local repos

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Share & Update	Adds a git URL as an alias	git remote add [alias] [url]
Share & Update	Fetches down all the branches from that Git remote	git fetch [alias]
Share & Update	Merges a remote branch into your current branch to bring it up to date	git merge [alias]/[branch]
Share & Update	Transmits local branch commits to the remote repository branch	git push [alias] [branch]
Share & Update	Fetches and merges any commits from the tracking remote branch	git pull

History Rewriting Commands

• Rewriting branches, updating commits and clearing history

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Rewrite History	Applies any commits of current branch ahead of specified one	git rebase [branch]
Rewrite History	Clears staging area, rewrites working tree from specified commit	git reset --hard [commit]

Temporary Commit Commands

• Temporarily storing modified, tracked files in order to change branches

Git Task	Explanation	Git Command
Temporary Commits	Saves modified and staged changes	git stash
Temporary Commits	Lists stack-order of stashed file changes	git stash list
Temporary Commits	Writes working from top of stash stack	git stash pop
Temporary Commits	Discards the changes from top of stash stack	git stash drop

• The information in this part is credited to the Git Research done by Ezgi Aysel Batı.
• The source used in this research is given below:
  • https://education.github.com/git-cheat-sheet-education.pdf