One last ‘Git Cheat-sheet of Commands’
Yes, there is plenty of git cheat-sheet published all over the internet. Still, not every software engineer use git commands efficiently/do git operations only through IDEs/not at all using git. So, I wanted to create a post to be a crisp and one last stop for the basic git commands.
First of all, why do we need git?
I think Nadhif Suyudi explained that well here.
Doing git operations through IDEs isn’t enough?
It is enough. But remember the old days in school? We use to write everything we learn, which helped us to remember. Git commands are very similar to that, every time you use the git command, you will start remembering it and you will be on track while coding. That’s why I strongly recommend using git commands.
No more blah blah blah…
To generate your SSH Public Key
ssh-keygen -oTo check your SSH Public Key
cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pubTo check user name and user email
git config --global user.name
git config --global user.emailNote: global option is used to check and set things globally. Without the global option, you can check and set things on the current project alone.
To set/change user name and user
git config --global user.name <name>
git config --global user.email <email>Eg:
git config --global user.name "Mathiazhagan D"
git config --global user.email thisisnotmymailid@gmail.com
To check git editor
git config — global core.editorTo set/change git editor
git config --global core.editor <editor-name>Eg:
git config --global core.editor vim
Note: Using vim will be very useful
To clone a git project
git clone <remote-repo-url>Eg:
git clone git@gitlab.com:kotlin-samples/hello-world.git
To find all branches and current branch
git branchTo find all branches including remote branches
git branch -aTo find all tags
git tagTo clone a specific branch of a project
git clone --branch <branch-name> <remote-repo-url>
git clone -b <branch-name> <remote-repo-url>Eg:
git clone -b master git@gitlab.com:kotlin-samples/hello-world.git
To clone a specific tag of a project
git clone --depth 1 --branch <tag-name> <remote-repo-url>Eg:
git clone --depth 1 --branch release_v1 git@gitlab.com:kotlin-samples/hello-world.git
To change/checkout to a branch
git checkout <other-branch-name>Eg:
git checkout bug_fix_1
To create a new branch
git checkout -b <new-branch-name>Eg:
git checkout -b bug_fix_2
To create a new tag
git tag -a release_v1 -m 'Release Version 1.0'To rename a branch
If you are on a different branch:
git branch -m <old-branch-name> <new-branch-name>Eg:
git branch -m bug_fix_2 big_fix_3
If you are on the branch you want to rename:
git branch -m <new-branch-name>Eg:
git branch -m bug_fix_3
To delete a branch
git branch -D <branch-name>Eg:
git branch -D bug_fix_3
To check git log
git log
git log -n<number-of-commits>
git log --oneline
git log --oneline -n<number-of-commits>
git log --graph
git log --graph -n<number-of-commits>Eg:
git log --oneline -n10
To check the log of a file
git log <file>Eg:
git log app/src/main/java/com/mathi/helloworld/MainActivity.kt
To find who changed specific lines of a file
git blame <file>Eg:
git blame app/src/main/java/com/mathi/helloworld/MainActivity.kt
Add git in an existing project
Go to the project location in the terminal, then use the following commands
git init
git remote add <remote-name> <remote-url>
git pull <remote-name> <master-branch>
git checkout <your-branch>git initgit remote add origin git@gitlab.com:kotlin-samples/hello-world.git
git pull origin master
git checkout bug_fix_1
To add all files, commit and push the code
git add .
git commit -m "<msg>"
git push (or) git push <remote-name> <branch-name>Eg:
git add .
git commit -m "First bug is fixed"
git push origin bug_fix_1
To pull the code
git pull
git pull <remote-name> <branch-name>Eg:
git pull origin bug_fix_2
Note[Important]:
1. If you have already pushed your changes to the remote before pulling the latest code, once you pull the code it will merge automatically with your changes unless there are conflicts.
2. If you have changes and not pushed, you need to stash the changes before pulling the code and you can stash pop once you successfully pulled the code.
To stash the code
git stashTo stash pop the code
git stash popTo change commit message(before pushing)
git commit --amendNote: Then, save the commit file.
To add unstaged/changed files to the last commit(before pushing)
git add .
git commit — amendTo check the latest changes(before commit)
git diffTo check the latest changes(after a commit)
git showTo check the difference between two commits
git diff <previous-commit-sha> <latest-commit-sha>Eg:
git diff abc123 def456
To merge branch
git checkout <old-branch-name>
git merge <new-branch-name>Eg:
git checkout master
git merge bug_fix_1
Note: If there are any conflicts, you need to resolve and continue the merge.
To cherry-pick
git cherry-pick <commit-sha>Eg:
git cherry-pick def456
git cherry-pick abc123 def456
To create patch
git format-patch -nEg:
git format-patch -1
Note: n denotes the number of commits to take as patches
To apply patch
git diff > <patch-name>.patchEg:
git diff > 0001.first_bug_is_fixed.patch
To create a patch from unstaged files
git diff > <patch-name>.patchEg:
git diff > changes_of_bug_fix_2.patch
To apply patch from unstaged files
git apply <patch-name>.patchEg:
git apply changes_of_bug_fix_2.patch
Useful articles related to git
Final tip
Using Git commands is all about practice. The Only thing you need to remember is you can do whatever you want in the git before pushing your code to the remote. Once you pushed, it can’t be undone. There are some methods to resolve it, but always be aware while pushing the code.
