git command

Distributed version control system for tracking changes in source code during software development.

Overview

Git is a distributed version control system that allows multiple developers to work on a project simultaneously. It tracks changes to files, maintains a history of modifications, and facilitates collaboration by enabling users to merge changes from different sources. Git operates primarily through a local repository, with the ability to synchronize with remote repositories.

Options

--version

Display the version of Git installed.

$ git --version
git version 2.39.2

--help

Display help information for Git or a specific Git command.

$ git --help
usage: git [--version] [--help] [-C <path>] [-c <name>=<value>]
           [--exec-path[=<path>]] [--html-path] [--man-path] [--info-path]
           [-p | --paginate | -P | --no-pager] [--no-replace-objects] [--bare]
           [--git-dir=<path>] [--work-tree=<path>] [--namespace=<name>]
           [--super-prefix=<path>] [--config-env=<name>=<envvar>]
           <command> [<args>]

-C <path>

Run Git as if it was started in the specified path.

$ git -C /path/to/repo status
On branch main
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.

-c <name>=<value>

Set a configuration variable for the duration of the command.

$ git -c user.name="Temporary User" commit -m "Temporary commit"
[main 1a2b3c4] Temporary commit
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

Usage Examples

Initializing a Repository

$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in /path/to/project/.git/

Cloning a Repository

$ git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git
Cloning into 'repository'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 125, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (125/125), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (80/80), done.
remote: Total 125 (delta 40), reused 120 (delta 35), pack-reused 0
Receiving objects: 100% (125/125), 2.01 MiB | 3.50 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (40/40), done.

Basic Workflow

$ git add file.txt
$ git commit -m "Add new file"
[main 1a2b3c4] Add new file
 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 file.txt
$ git push origin main
Enumerating objects: 4, done.
Counting objects: 100% (4/4), done.
Delta compression using up to 8 threads
Compressing objects: 100% (2/2), done.
Writing objects: 100% (3/3), 294 bytes | 294.00 KiB/s, done.
Total 3 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0
To https://github.com/username/repository.git
   7f8d922..1a2b3c4  main -> main

Checking Status and History

$ git status
On branch main
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.

Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
        modified:   README.md

$ git log
commit 1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h9i0j1k2l3m4n5o6p7q8r9s0 (HEAD -> main, origin/main)
Author: User Name <[email protected]>
Date:   Mon May 5 10:00:00 2025 -0700

    Add new file

Tips

Use Aliases for Common Commands

Set up aliases for frequently used commands to save time:

$ git config --global alias.co checkout
$ git config --global alias.br branch
$ git config --global alias.ci commit
$ git config --global alias.st status

Stash Changes Temporarily

When you need to switch branches but aren't ready to commit:

$ git stash
Saved working directory and index state WIP on main: 1a2b3c4 Latest commit
$ git stash pop
On branch main
Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
        modified:   file.txt

Use Interactive Rebase for Cleaning History

Combine, edit, or reorder commits before pushing:

$ git rebase -i HEAD~3

Create a .gitignore File

Prevent unwanted files from being tracked:

$ echo "node_modules/" > .gitignore
$ echo "*.log" >> .gitignore
$ git add .gitignore
$ git commit -m "Add gitignore file"

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How do I undo the last commit?

A. Use git reset HEAD~1 to undo the last commit but keep the changes, or git reset --hard HEAD~1 to discard the changes completely.

Q2. How do I create a new branch?

A. Use git branch branch-name to create a branch and git checkout branch-name to switch to it, or use git checkout -b branch-name to do both in one command.

Q3. How do I merge branches?

A. First checkout the target branch with git checkout main, then use git merge feature-branch to merge changes from the feature branch.

Q4. How do I resolve merge conflicts?

A. When conflicts occur, edit the conflicted files to resolve the differences, then git add the resolved files and complete the merge with git commit.

Q5. How do I update my local repository with remote changes?

A. Use git pull to fetch and merge remote changes, or git fetch followed by git merge for more control.

References

https://git-scm.com/docs

Revisions

2025/05/05 First revision