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Git Command Reference

A quick reference guide for the most commonly used Git commands.

Basic Commands​

git status​

Check the status of your working directory and staging area.

git status

Shows:

  • Modified files
  • Staged changes
  • Untracked files
  • Current branch

git add​

Stage changes for commit.

# Stage a specific file
git add filename.txt

# Stage all changes
git add .

# Stage all files of a specific type
git add "*.js"

git commit​

Save staged changes to the repository.

# Commit with inline message
git commit -m "Your commit message"

# Commit and stage all modified files
git commit -am "Your commit message"

# Open editor for detailed commit message
git commit

git clone​

Create a local copy of a remote repository.

# Clone a repository
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git

# Clone into a specific directory
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git my-folder

git push​

Upload local commits to a remote repository.

# Push to current branch
git push

# Push to specific remote and branch
git push origin main

# Push and set upstream branch
git push -u origin feature-branch

git pull​

Download and merge changes from a remote repository.

# Pull changes from current branch
git pull

# Pull from specific remote and branch
git pull origin main

Branch Management​

git branch​

List, create, or delete branches.

# List all branches
git branch

# List all branches (including remote)
git branch -a

# Create a new branch
git branch new-branch-name

# Delete a branch
git branch -d branch-name

# Force delete a branch
git branch -D branch-name

git switch​

Switch between branches (modern alternative to git checkout).

# Switch to existing branch
git switch branch-name

# Create and switch to new branch
git switch -c new-branch-name

# Switch to previous branch
git switch -

Quick Workflow Examples​

Starting a new feature​

git switch main
git pull
git switch -c feature/new-feature
# Make your changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"
git push -u origin feature/new-feature

Updating your branch​

git switch main
git pull
git switch your-branch
git merge main  # or git rebase main

Basic daily workflow​

git status                    # Check what's changed
git add .                     # Stage your changes
git commit -m "Description"   # Commit changes
git push                      # Push to remote

Tips​

  • Always check git status before committing
  • Write clear, descriptive commit messages
  • Pull before pushing to avoid conflicts
  • Use git switch instead of git checkout for switching branches
  • Create feature branches instead of working directly on main