Git Cheat Sheet | Learn Git Online

Getting Started

Initialize a Repository

Create a new git repository

git init

Clone a Repository

Clone from remote

git clone <repo-url>

Shallow Clone

Clone with limited history

git clone --depth 1 <repo-url>

Git Resources

Official Git Docs https://git-scm.com/doc

Atlassian Git Tutorials https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials

GitHub Learning Lab https://lab.github.com/

Pro Git Book https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2

Basic Snapshotting

Check Status

Show working tree status

git status

Add Files

Stage files for commit

git add <file>

Add All Files

Stage all changes

git add .

Commit Changes

Commit staged changes

git commit -m "Commit message"

Common Status Codes

M

Modified

A

Added

D

Deleted

??

Untracked

Advanced Branching & Merging

Create Branch

Create a new branch

git branch <branch-name>

Switch Branch

Switch to another branch

git switch <branch-name>

Merge Branch

Merge another branch

git merge <branch-name>

Squash Merge

Squash all commits into one

git merge --squash <branch-name>

Branch Tips

git branch -d <branch>

Delete branch

git branch -m <old> <new>

Rename branch

git branch

List branches

git merge --abort

Abort merge

Interactive Rebase & Cherry-pick

Interactive Rebase

Edit, squash, reorder commits

git rebase -i <base-commit>

Cherry-pick Commit

Apply commit from another branch

git cherry-pick <commit>

Rebase Tips

pick

Use commit as is

squash

Combine with previous commit

edit

Edit commit during rebase

Bisect & Debugging

Start Bisect

Find commit that introduced a bug

git bisect start

Mark Good/Bad

Mark known good/bad commits

git bisect good <commit>
git bisect bad <commit>

Reset Bisect

End bisect session

git bisect reset

Submodules & Large Files

Add Submodule

Add a git submodule

git submodule add <repo-url> <path>

Update Submodules

Update all submodules

git submodule update --init --recursive

Git LFS

Track large files

git lfs track "*.psd"
git add .gitattributes

Patch & Ignore

Create Patch

Create patch file from diff

git format-patch -1 <commit>

Apply Patch

Apply patch file

git apply <patch-file>

Git Ignore

Ignore files and directories

echo ".env" >> .gitignore

Hooks & Credentials

Git Hooks

Run scripts on git events

echo "echo Hello" > .git/hooks/pre-commit
chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit

Store Credentials

Cache credentials for HTTPS

git config --global credential.helper cache

SSH Key Setup

Generate and add SSH key

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Inspecting & Comparing

Show Commit Log

View commit history

git log --oneline --graph --decorate

Show Differences

Show file changes

git diff <commit1> <commit2>

Inspect Tips

git show <commit>

Show commit details

git blame <file>

Show who changed what

git reflog

Show reference log (recover lost commits)

Rewriting History

Amend Last Commit

Edit last commit message or content

git commit --amend

Rebase Branch

Reapply commits on top of another base

git rebase <branch>

Rewriting Tips

git reset --hard <commit>

Reset to commit (danger!)

git revert <commit>

Revert a commit safely

git cherry-pick <commit>

Apply commit from another branch

git filter-branch

Rewrite history (advanced!)

Configuration & Aliases

Set Username & Email

Configure user info

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Set Alias

Create a git command alias

git config --global alias.co checkout

Useful Aliases

git config --global alias.st status

git st

git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph"

git lg

git config --global alias.unstage "reset HEAD --"

git unstage

Troubleshooting & Recovery

Common Issues

Detached HEAD

git checkout <branch> to recover

Merge conflict

Resolve conflict, then git add & git commit

Lost commit

git reflog to find lost commits

Corrupted repo

git fsck, git gc

Troubleshooting Resources

GitHub Help https://help.github.com/en/github/using…

Atlassian Troubleshooting https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials…

Stack Overflow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tag…

Workflow Patterns & Best Practices

Popular Workflows

Feature Branch

Separate branch for each feature

Git Flow

Develop, master, feature, release, hotfix branches

Fork & Pull

Fork repo, submit pull requests

Best Practices

Commit often

Small, frequent commits are best

Write good messages

Clear, descriptive commit messages

Use branches

Feature/topic branches for organization

Pull before push

Avoid conflicts by syncing first

Review before merge

Code review for quality

Security & Performance

Security Tips

Never commit secrets

Use .gitignore for .env, credentials

Review before push

Check staged files with git diff --cached

Sign commits

git commit -S

Performance Tips

Shallow clone

git clone --depth 1

Garbage collect

git gc

Prune

git fetch --prune

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