Commands, Tricks for Git and Github

Creating Snapshots

Initializing a repository

git init

Staging files

git add file1.py # Stages a single file
git add file1.py file2.js # Stages multiple files
git add *.jpeg # Stages with a pattern
git add . # Stages the current directory and all its content

Viewing the status

git status # Full status
git status -s # Short status

Committing the staged files

git commit -m “Message” # Commits with a one-line message
git commit # Opens the default editor to type a long message

Skipping the staging area

git commit -am “Message”

Removing files

git rm file1.py # Removes from working directory and staging area
git rm --cached file1.py # Removes from staging area only

Renaming or moving files

git mv file1.py file1.md

Viewing the staged/unstaged changes

git diff # Shows unstaged changes
git diff --staged # Shows staged changes
git diff --cached # Same as the above

Viewing the history

git log # Full history
git log --oneline # Summary
git log --reverse # Lists the commits from the oldest to the newest

Viewing a commit

git show 921a2ff # Shows the given commit
git show HEAD # Shows the last commit
git show HEAD~2 # Two steps before the last commit
git show HEAD:file.js # Shows the version of file.js stored in the last commit

Unstaging files (undoing git add)

git restore --staged file.js # Copies the last version of file.js from repo to index

Discarding local changes

git restore file.py # Copies file.py from index to working directory
git restore file1.py file2.js # Restores multiple files in working directory
git restore . # Discards all local changes (except untracked files)
git clean -fd # Removes all untracked files

Restoring an earlier version of a file

git restore --source=HEAD~2 file.js

Browsing History

Viewing the history

git log --stat # Shows the list of modified files
git log --patch # Shows the actual changes (patches)

Filtering the history

git log -3 # Shows the last 3 entries
git log --author=“Mosh”
git log --before=“2020-08-17”
git log --after=“one week ago”
git log --grep=“GUI” # Commits with “GUI” in their message
git log -S“GUI” # Commits with “GUI” in their patches
git log hash1..hash2 # Range of commits
git log file.txt # Commits that touched file.txt

Formatting the log output

git log --pretty=format:”%an committed %H”

Creating an alias

git config --global alias.lg “log --oneline"
Viewing a commit
git show HEAD~2
git show HEAD~2:file1.txt # Shows the version of file stored in this commit

Comparing commits

git diff HEAD~2 HEAD # Shows the changes between two commits
git diff HEAD~2 HEAD file.txt # Changes to file.txt only 

Checking out a commit

git checkout dad47ed # Checks out the given commit
git checkout master # Checks out the master branch

Finding a bad commit

git bisect start
git bisect bad # Marks the current commit as a bad commit
git bisect good ca49180 # Marks the given commit as a good commit
git bisect reset # Terminates the bisect session

Finding contributors

git shortlog

Viewing the history of a file

git log file.txt # Shows the commits that touched file.txt
git log --stat file.txt # Shows statistics (the number of changes) for file.txt
git log --patch file.txt # Shows the patches (changes) applied to file.txt

Finding the author of lines

git blame file.txt # Shows the author of each line in file.txt
Tagging
git tag v1.0 # Tags the last commit as v1.0
git tag v1.0 5e7a828 # Tags an earlier commit
git tag # Lists all the tags
git tag -d v1.0 # Deletes the given tag 

Branching & Merging

Managing branches

git branch bugfix # Creates a new branch called bugfix
git checkout bugfix # Switches to the bugfix branch
git switch bugfix # Same as the above
git switch -C bugfix # Creates and switches
git branch -d bugfix # Deletes the bugfix branch

Comparing branches

git log master..bugfix # Lists the commits in the bugfix branch not in master
git diff master..bugfix # Shows the summary of changes
Stashing
git stash push -m “New tax rules” # Creates a new stash
git stash list # Lists all the stashes
git stash show stash@{1} # Shows the given stash
git stash show 1 # shortcut for stash@{1}
git stash apply 1 # Applies the given stash to the working dir
git stash drop 1 # Deletes the given stash
git stash clear # Deletes all the stashes

Merging

git merge bugfix # Merges the bugfix branch into the current branch
git merge --no-ff bugfix # Creates a merge commit even if FF is possible
git merge --squash bugfix # Performs a squash merge
git merge --abort # Aborts the merge 

Viewing the merged branches

git branch --merged # Shows the merged branches
git branch --no-merged # Shows the unmerged branches
Rebasing
git rebase master # Changes the base of the current branch

Cherry picking

git cherry-pick dad47ed # Applies the given commit on the current branch 

Collaboration

Cloning a repository

git clone url

Syncing with remotes

git fetch origin master # Fetches master from origin
git fetch origin # Fetches all objects from origin
git fetch # Shortcut for “git fetch origin”
git pull # Fetch + merge
git push origin master # Pushes master to origin
git push # Shortcut for “git push origin master”

Sharing tags

git push origin v1.0 # Pushes tag v1.0 to origin
git push origin —delete v1.0

Sharing branches

git branch -r # Shows remote tracking branches
git branch -vv # Shows local & remote tracking branches
git push -u origin bugfix # Pushes bugfix to origin
git push -d origin bugfix # Removes bugfix from origin

Managing remotes

git remote # Shows remote repos
git remote add upstream url # Adds a new remote called upstream
git remote rm upstream # Remotes upstream 

Rewriting History

Undoing commits

git reset --soft HEAD^ # Removes the last commit, keeps changed staged
git reset --mixed HEAD^ # Unstages the changes as well
git reset --hard HEAD^ # Discards local changes

Reverting commits

git revert 72856ea # Reverts the given commit
git revert HEAD~3.. # Reverts the last three commits
git revert --no-commit HEAD~3..

Recovering lost commits

git reflog # Shows the history of HEAD
git reflog show bugfix # Shows the history of bugfix pointer

Amending the last commit

git commit --amend
Interactive rebasing
git rebase -i HEAD~5

Commit Error

Git error The “fatal: refusing to merge unrelated histories”

git pull origin master --allow-unrelated-histories