Git Commands

Updated: January 30, 2023

A list of useful Git commands for everyday use.

Stash

Stash is a way to save your work without committing it. It is useful when you want to change branches or pull the latest changes from a remote repository.

Save a specific file
git stash push <file>
Save all changes
git stash
List all stashes
git stash list
Delete a specific stash
git stash drop stash@{<number>}
Delete all stashes
git stash drop
Apply a stash and delete it
git stash pop
Apply the most recent stash
git stash apply
Apply a specific stash
git stash apply stash@{<number>}

Branch

It is useful when you want to work on a new feature and test it without affecting the main branch.

List all branches
git branch
Create a new branch and switch to it
git checkout -b <name>
Switch back to the previous local branch you have been working on
git checkout -
Rename a branch
git branch -m <oldName> <newName>
Delete a branch
git branch -d <name>
Add a branch to upstream repository
git push --set-upstream origin <name>

Stage and commit

Stage is a way to prepare your work for a commit. It allows you to commit your work in smaller parts.

Stage all changes
git add .
Stage a specific file
git add <file>
Unstage all changes
git reset .
Commit your work
git commit -m "your commit message"

Overrides

Overrides are useful when you want to undo your work.

Amend a commit message
git commit --amend
If you want to keep your work and undo just the last commit
git reset HEAD~
If you want to override a file in your local repo with the version in the remote repo
git reset --hard origin/<current-branch>

Restore previous work

Restore your work if you accidentally deleted it.

Undo all uncommitted changes
git checkout .
Restore a deleted file
git checkout HEAD <file>
Remove last commit by keeping all changes staged
git reset --soft HEAD~1

Squash commits

First, check the number of commits you want to squash. Then, use that number to tell git how many commits to squash into one:

Terminal
git rev-list HEAD --count
git rebase -i HEAD~<number-of-commits>

Rebase

Bring the changes from the "main" branch to the "staging" branch. Then, push the changes to the existing repository:

Terminal
git checkout staging
git rebase main
git push

Sync feature branch with main branch

If you are in the "feature-branch" and need to pull in the latest changes from the remote main branch:

Terminal
git checkout main
git pull
git checkout feature-branch
git pull --all
git merge main

Rename master branch to main in GitHub

First, make sure to change the name of the branch on GitHub:

Go to your GitHub repository
https://github.com/:username/:repo-name/branches

Then, change the name of the branch locally:

Terminal
git branch -m master main
git fetch origin
git branch -u origin/main main
git remote set-head origin -a