The Essential Git Cheat Sheet for Beginners

Welcome to the Essential Git Cheat Sheet! Whether you’re new to Git or looking to refresh your memory, this guide will provide you with the fundamental commands you need to navigate through your version control journey.

Setup and Configuration

Set Your Identity

Ensure Git knows who you are before you start committing changes.

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your-email@example.com"

Repository Management

1. Initialize a New Repository

Start a new Git repository in your project directory.

git init

2. Clone an Existing Repository

Clone an existing repository from a remote source.

git clone <repository-url>

Basic Snapshotting

1. Add Files to the Staging Area

Stage changes ready for commit.

git add <filename>

2. Commit Changes

Commit staged changes to the repository.

git commit -m "Commit message"

Branching and Merging

1. Create a New Branch

Start a new branch to work on a feature or bug fix.

git branch <branch-name>

2. Switch to a Branch

Move to a different branch in your repository.

git checkout <branch-name

3. Merge a Branch

Merge changes from one branch into another.

git merge <branch-name>

Remote Repositories

1. Add a Remote Repository

Link your local repository to a remote source.

git remote add origin <repository-url>

2. Push Changes

Upload your commits to a remote repository.

git push origin <branch-name>

3. Pull Changes

Fetch and merge changes from a remote repository.

git pull

Inspecting and Comparing

1. Show Status

View the status of your working directory and staging area.

git status

2. Show Commit History

Explore the commit history of your repository.

git log

3. Show Changes

Inspect the differences between commits, the working tree, etc.

git diff

Undoing Changes

1. Unstage Files

Remove files from the staging area.

git reset <filename>

2. Revert Changes

Discard changes in the working directory.

git checkout -- <filename>

3. Reset to a Commit

Reset your repository to a specific commit.

git reset --hard <commit>

Conclusion

This cheat sheet will serve as your go-to reference as you navigate through various Git operations. Happy coding!