Git Cheat Sheet

By Vladimir Mikhalev · Solutions Architect · Docker Captain · CNCF Ambassador · IBM Champion

Let’s skip the Git theory lecture.

This cheat sheet is for people who already know Git is a version control system and just want the damn commands. You’ve got code to write, bugs to fix, and a production deploy in 6 minutes.

So here it is: everything you need, nothing you don’t.

Setup#

Set your name and email (commit author identity)#

1
git config --global user.name "Ada Lovelace"
2
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Creating Repos#

Start a new repo#

1
git init

Clone an existing repo#

1
git clone <repo-url>

Making Changes#

Check what’s changed#

1
git status

Stage changes (individual or all)#

1
git add <file>   # just one
2
# or
3
git add .        # all changes

Commit with a message#

1
git commit -m "fix: patch infinite loop in login"

Unstage a file#

1
git reset HEAD <file>

History & Diffs#

See commit history#

1
git log

See unstaged changes#

1
git diff

See staged changes#

1
git diff --staged

Remotes#

Link to a remote repo#

1
git remote add origin <url>

Push/pull to/from remote#

1
git push origin <branch>
2
git pull origin <branch>

Branching#

See, create, switch, and delete branches#

1
git branch              # list branches
2
git branch <name>       # create
3

4
# switch to a branch
5
git checkout <name>
6

7
# delete a branch
8
git branch -d <name>

Merging#

Merge a branch into current one#

1
git merge <branch>

Stashing#

Save, list, apply, and drop stashes#

1
git stash               # stash current changes
2
git stash list          # see all stashes
3
git stash apply         # reapply latest stash
4
git stash drop          # delete latest stash

Tagging#

Add, delete, and push tags#

1
git tag <tag>
2
git tag -a <tag> -m "msg"
3
git tag -d <tag>
4
git push --tags

Reverting & Resetting#

Revert a commit (safe)#

1
git revert HEAD              # undo last commit

1
git revert <commit>          # revert specific commit

Reset to a clean state (dangerous)#

1
git reset HEAD               # unstage
2

3
git reset --hard HEAD        # discard all local changes
4

5
git reset --hard <commit>    # nuke back to old commit

Aliases#

Save yourself some keystrokes#

1
git config --global alias.co checkout
2
git config --global alias.st status
3
git config --global alias.ci commit
4
git config --global alias.br branch

That’s It#

Git can get deep, but you don’t need to memorize plumbing commands to be dangerous.

Pin this cheat sheet, use it daily, and add aliases for whatever slows you down.

Now go commit something before someone force-pushes to main again.

Vladimir Mikhalev

Docker Captain · IBM Champion · AWS Community Builder

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