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Do you know these important git commands?

Learn the Git commands every developer should know to keep your history clean, your team in sync and your pull requests stress free.

git branches merge
Figure: Git Workflow

Git Command Line

The bread and butter of git. Git Command Line is the traditional and most powerful way to use Git.

✅ Pros

  • Emphasizes power, control, and completeness
  • Provides deep understanding of Git internals

❌ Cons

  • Steep learning curve for beginners
  • Easy to make mistakes with destructive commands

1. git init

Creates a new Git repository in the current folder.

git init

This sets up Git tracking for your project. It creates a .git directory containing metadata about your repo, including commit history, branches, and remote settings.

2. git clone

Creates a local copy of a remote repository.

git clone {{repository-url}}

Example:

git clone https://github.com/test/hello-world.git

This copies all the files, history, and branches from the remote repo.

If configured, you can clone via SSH:

git clone git@github.com:test/hello-world

3. git status

Shows the current state of your working directory and staging area.

git status

You’ll see:

  • Files that have been modified
  • Files that are staged
  • Untracked files

Here are some most frequently used git status commands:

Command Description
git status Shows the basic status of working directory and staging area
git status -s Shows status in short format (compact view)
git status -b Shows branch and tracking info in short format
git status --porcelain Machine-readable output format

4. git add

Adds files to the staging area so they’re ready to be committed.

git add {{file}}
git add .

git add {{file}} adds a specific file.

git add . adds all changes in the current directory and subdirectories.

Tip: Use git status before running this to see which files you’re staging.

5. git commit

Saves a snapshot of your staged changes with a message. This will open your configured editor.

git commit

Alternatively, you can provide a message via the -m flag.

git commit -m “@feature auth added”

Each commit should describe why the changes were made—not just what was changed.

Use clear, concise messages that help teammates (and your future self) understand the history.

A commonly followed spec Conventional Commits, serves as a way to keep commit messages consistent and easy to read. This involves prefixing commits with a type and optional scope, e.g. feat(api): send an email to the customer when a product is shipped

6. git diff

Shows differences between your working directory and the staging area or between commits.

Command Description Use Case
git diff Shows unstaged changes Most common - see what you've changed
git diff --staged Shows staged changes Review changes before committing
git diff HEAD Shows all changes since last commit See everything that's changed
git diff <filename> Shows changes in specific file Focus on one file's changes
git diff --stat Shows change summary Quick overview of what files changed

This helps you preview what’s going to be committed or what changed between commits.

7. git log

Displays the commit history.

git log

You’ll see:

  • Commit hashes (SHA)
  • Author names
  • Dates
  • Commit messages

You can customize the output of git log with many options. Here are some of the most useful ones:

Command / Option What it does
git log Shows the full commit history (default format)
git log --oneline Shows each commit as a single line (short hash + message)
git log --stat Shows files changed and the number of insertions/deletions per commit
git log -p Shows the actual diff (patch) introduced in each commit
git log --author="Name" Shows commits by a specific author
git log --graph Shows a text-based graph of the branch structure
git log --decorate Shows branch and tag names alongside commits
git log --pretty=oneline Shows each commit on one line (more detailed than --oneline)
git log --abbrev-commit Shows only a short SHA-1 for each commit

To exit the git log, press q

8. git reset

Resets your staging area or moves HEAD to a different commit.

Command / Option What it does
git reset By default, unstages files (moves from staging area back to working directory)
git reset <commit> Moves the current branch to the specified commit (default is --mixed)
git reset --soft <commit> Moves HEAD to commit, keeps changes staged (in index)
git reset --mixed <commit> Moves HEAD to commit, unstages changes (default behavior)
git reset --hard <commit> Moves HEAD to commit, discards all changes in working directory and index
git reset HEAD <file> Unstages a specific file (keeps changes in working directory)

9. git checkout

Switches branches or restores files.

Switch to a branch:

git checkout main

Passing the -b flag allows you to create and checkout a new branch at the same time.

git checkout -b new-branch

Due to the checkout command having multiple uses, the Git team decided to split its usage into two additional commands, switch and restore. It's recommended to use git switch (-c | -C) <new-branch> to switch/create branches now days.

10. git branch

Lists, creates, or deletes branches.

List branches:

git branch

Create a new branch:

git branch @feature/login-form

Delete a branch:

git branch -d old-feature

11. git merge

Combines changes from one branch into another.

git checkout @feature/login-form
git merge main

This merges the main branch into the feature branch.

If there are conflicting changes in the same files, Git will prompt you to resolve them manually.

12. git pull

Downloads changes from a remote repository and merges them into your local branch.

git pull origin main

This is equivalent to:

git fetch
git merge

Use git pull --rebase to avoid unnecessary merge commits.

13. git push

Uploads your local commits to a remote repository.

Command / Option What it does
git push Pushes current branch to its tracked remote branch
git push origin <branch> Pushes the specified local branch to the remote named "origin"
git push -u origin <branch> Pushes branch and sets upstream (tracks remote branch)
git push --force or git push -f Forces push, overwriting remote branch history
git push --all Pushes all local branches to the remote
git push --tags Pushes all local tags to the remote
git push origin --delete <branch> Deletes a branch on the remote repository

Use this to share your work with others.

14. git stash

Temporarily saves changes that you don’t want to commit yet.

git stash

This clears your working directory so you can switch branches cleanly.

Restore stashed changes:

git stash pop

View all stashes:

git stash list

15. git remote

Manages remote repositories.

Command / Option What it does
git remote Lists the short names of all configured remotes
git remote -v Lists remotes and their URLs (fetch and push)
git remote add <name> <url> Adds a new remote repository
git remote remove <name> Removes a remote repository
git remote rename <old> <new> Renames a remote repository
git remote show <name> Shows detailed info about a specific remote
git remote set-url <name> <url> Changes the URL of a remote repository

For more information, check out Git Documentation or Essential Git Command Reference.

Git Clients

Alternatively, developers could choose a user-friendly visual interface that makes version control more accessible. It's perfect for developers who prefer visual interfaces and handles most day-to-day Git tasks without needing to memorize commands.

1. GitHub Desktop

GitHub Desktop is a free, streamlined Git client that great integration with GitHub repositories.

✅ Pros

  • Completely free and open source
  • Dead simple interface perfect for Git beginners
  • Excellent GitHub integration with pull requests and issues

❌ Cons

  • Limited advanced Git features
  • No built-in merge conflict resolution tools
  • Primarily designed for GitHub (limited with other Git hosts)

Video: GitHub Desktop is for everyone - Universe 2022 (12 min)

2. GitKraken

GitKraken is a premium Git GUI that offers a comprehensive visual interface with advanced features and beautiful design.

✅ Pros

  • Stunning visual repository graph and history
  • Excellent merge conflict resolution tools
  • Supports multiple Git hosting services (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, etc.)

❌ Cons

  • Requires paid subscription for private repositories and teams
  • Can be overwhelming for beginners
  • Resource-heavy application (uses more memory)
Adam Cogan
Tino Liu
Jerry Luo
Version Control with Git
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