Git & GitHub Cheat Sheet: Master Essential Commands Easily

Core Git Commands

git init: Initializes a new Git repository in the current directory.
git clone <repo_url>: Creates a local copy of a remote repository.
git status: Displays the status of the working directory and staging area.
git add <file_or_folder>: Adds changes to the staging area.
git add .: Stages all changes in the current directory.
git commit -m "message": Saves staged changes with a descriptive message.
git push origin <branch>: Uploads local commits to the remote branch.
git pull origin <branch>: Downloads changes from the remote branch and merges them into the local branch.
git fetch origin: Downloads changes from the remote repository without merging.
git merge <branch>: Combines changes from another branch into the current branch.
git branch <branch_name>: Creates a new branch locally.
git branch: Lists all local branches.
git checkout <branch_name>: Switches to the specified branch (deprecated; use git switch).
git switch <branch_name>: Switches branches (recommended).
git log: Displays the commit history of the repository.
git diff: Shows differences between the working directory and the staging area.
git stash: Temporarily saves uncommitted changes for later use.
git stash apply: Re-applies stashed changes without removing them.
git reset <file>: Unstages changes and moves them back to the working directory.
git reset --hard <commit>: Resets the repository to a specific commit, discarding all changes.
git clean -f: Deletes untracked files in the working directory.
git tag <tag_name>: Creates a tag for marking a specific commit.
git show <tag_name>: Displays information about a specific tag.

GitHub-Specific Commands

git remote -v: Lists all remote repositories associated with the local repo.
git remote add origin <repo_url>: Links a local repository to a remote repository.
git push --set-upstream origin <branch>: Sets the remote branch for tracking and pushes the current branch.
gh auth login: Authenticates with your GitHub account (via GitHub CLI).
gh repo create <name>: Creates a new repository on GitHub from the command line.
gh repo clone <repo>: Clones a GitHub repository using GitHub CLI.
gh pr create: Creates a pull request for the current branch (GitHub CLI).
gh pr list: Lists all open pull requests for the repository (GitHub CLI).
gh issue create: Opens a new issue on GitHub from the terminal.
git fork: Creates a personal fork of a repository on GitHub (via GitHub CLI).
git fetch upstream: Syncs changes from the upstream repository (useful for forks).
git pull upstream main: Pulls updates from the upstream main branch into your local branch.

Collaboration Commands

git rebase <branch>: Reapplies commits on top of another base branch (useful for maintaining a clean history).
git cherry-pick <commit>: Applies a specific commit from another branch.
git revert <commit>: Creates a new commit to reverse changes from a specific commit.
git blame <file>: Shows who last modified each line of a file.
git log --oneline: Displays a compact view of the commit history.
git log --graph: Visualizes the commit history as a graph.

Advanced and Maintenance Commands

git rm <file>: Removes a file from the repository and stages the change.
git mv <old_name> <new_name>: Renames or moves a file and stages the change.
git reflog: Shows the history of references in the repository (e.g., branches, HEAD).
git archive: Creates an archive (e.g., .zip or .tar) of the repository or a specific branch.
git bisect: Helps find the commit that introduced a bug by binary search.
git submodule add <repo_url>: Adds a submodule (another repository) to the project.
git submodule update --init: Initializes and updates all submodules.

Common Aliases (Optional)

git hist: An alias for git log --graph --oneline --all (requires setup).
git co: An alias for git checkout (requires setup).

Usage Notes

Preview Changes: Use git fetch to check for updates on the remote repository without merging. This allows you to inspect changes before applying them locally.
Meaningful Commit Messages: Write descriptive commit messages (e.g., git commit -m "Fix login button alignment issue") to make the history easy to understand.
Branch Management: Use branches for feature development (e.g., git branch feature-login) and keep the main branch clean for production-ready code.
Regular Syncing: Frequently sync with the remote repository using git pull origin <branch> to avoid merge conflicts.
Stashing: Use git stash to save uncommitted work temporarily when switching branches or pulling updates.
Code Review: Before merging branches, review changes using git diff or gh pr view for pull requests on GitHub.
Rebasing vs Merging: Use git rebase to keep a clean history, but prefer git merge for shared branches to preserve collaboration context.
Undoing Mistakes: Use git reset or git revert to undo changes safely. git revert is ideal for public branches as it creates a new commit to reverse changes.
Tracking Issues: Use GitHub issues (gh issue create) to keep track of bugs, feature requests, or tasks for the project.
Tags for Releases: Use git tag to create versioned checkpoints (e.g., v1.0.0) and push tags with git push origin <tag_name>.
Backups: Regularly push local changes to the remote repository (git push) to ensure work is not lost.
Cleanup: Remove obsolete branches locally (git branch -d <branch_name>) and remotely (git push origin --delete <branch_name>).

Git & GitHub Cheat Sheet

This cheat sheet is designed to keep you productive with Git and GitHub commands at your fingertips.

Core Git Commands

GitHub-Specific Commands

Collaboration Commands

Advanced and Maintenance Commands

Common Aliases (Optional)

Usage Notes