cheat sheet
Git Cheat Sheet
Every command, flag, and workflow pattern. Searchable, filterable by level, copy-ready.
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Git Command Explainer
paste any git command
Command
Breakdown
Setup & Configuration
Quick reference
Set username
git config --global user.name
Init new repo
git init
Clone a repo
git clone <url>
View all config
git config --list
Identity & Editor
beginner
Set global username and email
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
Set default editor
git config --global core.editor "code --wait" # VS Code
git config --global core.editor "vim"
Set default branch name
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
View config settings
git config --list # all settings
git config --list --show-origin # with file paths
git config user.name # single value
Config scopes: system, global, local
git config --system # /etc/gitconfig - all users
git config --global # ~/.gitconfig - current user
git config --local # .git/config - this repo (default)
# local overrides global overrides system
Useful global aliases
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --all"
Init & Clone
beginner
Initialize a new repository
git init # in current directory
git init my-project # create new directory
Clone a repository
git clone <url>
git clone <url> my-folder # into specific folder
git clone --depth 1 <url> # shallow clone (faster)
git clone --branch dev <url> # clone specific branch
Staging & Status
Quick reference
What's changed?
git status
Stage everything
git add .
Stage interactively
git add -p
Review staged changes
git diff --staged
Status & Diff
beginner
Check working tree status
git status
git status -s # short format
git status -sb # short + branch info
Diff - what's changed
git diff # unstaged changes
git diff --staged # staged changes
git diff HEAD # all changes vs last commit
git diff main..feature # between branches
git diff --stat # summary of files changed
git diff --word-diff # word-level changes
List tracked files
git ls-files # all tracked files
git ls-files --others --exclude-standard # untracked
git ls-files -m # modified files
Adding & Removing Files
beginner
Stage files
git add file.txt # specific file
git add . # all changes in current dir
git add -A # all changes in repo
git add src/ # entire directory
Interactive staging - stage hunks
git add -p # patch: choose hunks interactively
git add -i # interactive menu
# In patch mode: y=yes, n=no, s=split, q=quit, ?=help
Intent to add (stage new files for diffing)
git add --intent-to-add new-file.txt
# Registers the file so git diff shows it as all-new
# without actually staging its content yet
Unstage files (keep changes)
git restore --staged file.txt # modern
git reset HEAD file.txt # classic
Discard working tree changes
git restore file.txt # discard changes in file
git restore . # discard all unstaged changes
Remove / rename tracked files
git rm file.txt # delete file and stage removal
git rm --cached file.txt # untrack but keep file on disk
git mv old.txt new.txt # rename (stage automatically)
.gitignore
beginner
Common .gitignore patterns
node_modules/
.env
*.log
*.pyc
!important.log # negate (don't ignore this)
**/temp/ # in any directory
Search within tracked files
git grep "TODO" # search working tree
git grep "function" HEAD~5 # search at a commit
git grep -n "pattern" # show line numbers
git grep -l "TODO" # filenames only
git grep -i "fixme" # case-insensitive
Faster than grep for Git repos - respects .gitignore
Stop tracking an already-tracked file
git rm --cached .env
# Then add .env to .gitignore and commit
Global ignore file (all repos)
git config --global core.excludesFile ~/.gitignore_global
# Add patterns: .DS_Store, Thumbs.db, *.swp
Committing
Quick reference
Quick commit
git commit -m "message"
Stage tracked + commit
git commit -am "message"
Fix last commit
git commit --amend --no-edit
Show last commit
git show HEAD
Creating Commits
beginner
Commit staged changes
git commit -m "feat: add login page"
git commit # opens editor
Stage all tracked files and commit
git commit -am "fix: correct typo in header"
# -a stages modified tracked files (not new untracked)
Amend the last commit
git commit --amend -m "new message" # change message
git commit --amend --no-edit # add staged files, keep message
Only amend commits not yet pushed - rewrites history
Conventional commit format
git commit -m "feat(auth): add OAuth login"
git commit -m "fix(api): handle null response"
git commit -m "docs: update README"
git commit -m "chore!: breaking change"
Empty commit (trigger CI)
git commit --allow-empty -m "chore: trigger CI"
Inspecting Commits
beginner
Show commit details
git show # last commit
git show HEAD # last commit (explicit)
git show abc1234 # specific commit
git show HEAD~2 # two commits ago
git show --stat # files changed only
Resolve a commit SHA from any ref
git rev-parse HEAD # full SHA of HEAD
git rev-parse --short HEAD # abbreviated SHA
git rev-parse main # SHA of branch tip
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD # current branch name
Useful in scripts: BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
Branching
Quick reference
Create + switch branch
git switch -c <branch>
List branches
git branch
Switch branch
git switch main
Delete branch
git branch -d <branch>
Create, Switch & List
beginner
List branches
git branch # local branches
git branch -r # remote tracking branches
git branch -a # all branches
git branch -v # with last commit info
git branch --merged # merged into current
git branch --no-merged # not yet merged
Create and switch branches
git switch -c feature/login # create + switch (modern)
git checkout -b feature/login # create + switch (classic)
git switch main # switch branch
git switch - # return to previous branch
Rename and delete branches
git branch -m new-name # rename current branch
git branch -d feature/done # safe delete (merged)
git branch -D feature/abandon # force delete
-D discards all unmerged commits permanently
Create branch from specific commit or tag
git switch -c hotfix abc1234
git switch -c release-1.0 v1.0
Merging & Rebasing
Quick reference
Merge branch
git merge <branch>
Merge with commit
git merge --no-ff
Rebase onto main
git rebase main
Interactive rebase
git rebase -i HEAD~3
Merge
beginner
Merge strategies
git merge feature/login # fast-forward if possible
git merge --no-ff feature/login # always create merge commit
git merge --squash feature/login # squash all commits to one
git merge --ff-only feature/login # abort if not fast-forward
Merge strategy options (ours / theirs)
git merge -X ours feature # conflicts: prefer our version
git merge -X theirs feature # conflicts: prefer their version
# Note: -X is the conflict resolution strategy,
# not the same as --strategy=ours (which ignores theirs entirely)
Resolve merge conflicts
git status # see conflicted files
# Edit files to resolve, then:
git add file.txt # mark resolved
git commit # complete the merge
# Or abort:
git merge --abort
Revert a merge commit
git revert -m 1 abc1234
# -m 1 means: keep parent 1 (the branch you merged into)
# -m 2 would keep parent 2 (the branch you merged in)
Rebase
intermediate
Rebase current branch onto main
git rebase main
git rebase --continue # after resolving conflict
git rebase --abort # cancel
Reapplies commits on top of main - creates linear history
Interactive rebase - rewrite history
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git rebase -i HEAD~3 # last 3 commits
# In editor, change 'pick' to:
# r / reword - change commit message
# s / squash - meld into previous
# f / fixup - squash, discard message
# d / drop - remove commit
# e / edit - pause to amend
# b / break - stop here for inspection
# Save and close editor to execute
Rebase --onto a different base
git rebase --onto main old-base feature
# Moves commits from feature NOT in old-base onto main
Cherry-pick
intermediate
Apply specific commits to current branch
git cherry-pick abc1234 # single commit
git cherry-pick abc1234 def5678 # multiple commits
git cherry-pick abc1234..def5678 # range (exclusive start)
git cherry-pick -n abc1234 # apply but don't commit
git cherry-pick --continue / --abort
Remotes
Quick reference
List remotes
git remote -v
Fetch changes
git fetch origin
Pull with rebase
git pull --rebase origin main
Push branch + track
git push -u origin <branch>
Managing Remotes
beginner
View remotes
git remote # list names
git remote -v # with URLs
git remote show origin # full info about remote
Add, remove and rename remotes
git remote add origin <url>
git remote remove origin
git remote rename origin upstream
git remote set-url origin <new-url>
Fetch, Pull & Push
beginner
Fetch remote changes (don't merge)
git fetch origin # fetch all branches
git fetch --all # all remotes
git fetch --prune # remove stale remote refs
# fetch --prune vs remote prune:
# fetch --prune = fetch + cleanup in one step
git remote prune origin # cleanup only (no fetch)
Pull
git pull # fetch + merge
git pull --rebase origin main # fetch + rebase
git pull --ff-only # abort if not fast-forward
Push to remote
git push origin main
git push -u origin feature/login # set upstream tracking
git push origin --delete feature/done # delete remote branch
Force push
git push --force-with-lease # safe: fails if remote changed
git push --force # overwrites remote no matter what
Always prefer --force-with-lease over --force on shared branches
History & Log
Quick reference
Visual branch graph
git log --oneline --graph --all
Filter by author/date
git log --author --since
Who changed what
git blame file.txt
Find when code added/removed
git log -S "search term"
git log
beginner
Basic log views
git log # full log
git log --oneline # one line per commit
git log --oneline --graph --all # all branches visual
git log -5 # last 5 commits
git log -p # with diffs (patch)
git log -p -- file.txt # diffs for specific file
Filter log output
git log --author="Alice"
git log --since="2 weeks ago"
git log --grep="fix:" # by commit message
git log --follow -- file.txt # file history (through renames)
git log --stat # files changed per commit
git log main..feature # commits in feature, not main
Custom log format
git log --format="%h %an %s"
# %h=short hash %H=full hash %an=author
# %s=subject %ar=relative date %d=refs
Pickaxe - find when code was added or removed
git log -S "functionName" # string added/removed
git log -G "regex.*pattern" # regex in diff
Blame, Bisect & Refs
intermediate
git blame - who wrote each line
git blame file.txt
git blame -L 10,20 file.txt # lines 10-20 only
git blame -w file.txt # ignore whitespace
git blame abc1234 -- file.txt # at specific commit
git bisect - binary search for a bug
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git bisect start
git bisect bad # current commit is broken
git bisect good v1.2.0 # last known good commit/tag
# Git checks out midpoint, test it, then:
git bisect good # or git bisect bad
# Repeat until Git finds the first bad commit
git bisect reset # restore HEAD when done
Ref shortcuts
HEAD # current commit
HEAD~1 # one commit before HEAD
HEAD^ # first parent (same as HEAD~1)
HEAD^2 # second parent (merge commit)
v1.0 # tag
main@{yesterday} # where main was yesterday
Undoing Changes
Quick reference
Safe undo (new commit)
git revert HEAD
Undo commit, keep staged
git reset --soft HEAD~1
Restore file from commit
git restore --source=HEAD~2
Find lost commits
git reflog
revert vs reset
intermediate
git revert - safe undo (creates new commit)
git revert HEAD # undo last commit
git revert abc1234 # undo specific commit
git revert -m 1 abc1234 # revert a merge commit
git revert --no-commit HEAD # stage the revert, don't commit yet
Safe for shared branches - preserves history
git reset - move HEAD (rewrites history)
git reset --soft HEAD~1 # undo commit, keep staged
git reset --mixed HEAD~1 # undo commit + unstage (default)
git reset --hard HEAD~1 # undo commit + discard changes
--hard permanently discards your working tree changes
Only reset commits not yet pushed to shared branches
Restore a specific file from any commit
git restore --source=HEAD~2 -- file.txt
git restore --source=abc1234 -- src/app.js
# Restores the file without moving HEAD
Use this instead of git reset when you only want one file back
Reflog & Clean
intermediate
Recover lost commits with reflog
git reflog # full history of HEAD movements
git reflog main # reflog for specific branch
# Find the SHA, then restore:
git switch -c recovered abc1234
git reset --hard abc1234
Reflog entries kept ~90 days by default
Clean untracked files
git clean -n # dry run - show what would be removed
git clean -f # remove untracked files
git clean -fd # also remove untracked directories
git clean -fdx # also remove ignored files
Always run -n first - git clean cannot be undone
Stash
Quick reference
Stash changes
git stash
Restore + drop stash
git stash pop
List stashes
git stash list
Named stash
git stash push -m "name"
Stash Operations
intermediate
Save and restore stash
git stash # save tracked changes
git stash push -u # include untracked files
git stash push -m "wip: login" # with description
git stash pop # restore latest + remove stash
git stash apply # restore latest, keep stash
git stash apply stash@{2} # restore specific stash
Inspect and manage stashes
git stash list
git stash show -p # diff for latest
git stash show stash@{1} # specific stash
git stash drop stash@{0} # delete one stash
git stash clear # delete all stashes
Create a branch from a stash
git stash branch wip-feature stash@{0}
# Creates branch, checks it out, applies + drops stash
Stash only specific files
git stash push -m "partial" file1.js file2.css
Tags
Quick reference
Lightweight tag
git tag v1.0.0
Annotated tag
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "..."
Push all tags
git push origin --tags
List tags by pattern
git tag -l "v1.*"
Creating & Managing Tags
intermediate
Lightweight vs annotated tags
git tag v1.0.0 # lightweight
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release 1.0.0" # annotated (preferred)
git tag -a v0.9.0 abc1234 -m "Backfill" # tag a past commit
List, show and delete tags
git tag # list all tags
git tag -l "v1.*" # filter by pattern
git show v1.0.0 # show tag details
git tag -d v1.0.0 # delete local tag
git push origin v1.0.0 # push one tag
git push origin --tags # push all tags
git push origin --delete v1.0.0 # delete remote tag
Checkout a tag (detached HEAD)
git checkout v1.0.0 # detached HEAD state
git switch -c hotfix/1.0.1 # branch from here
Power Commands
Quick reference
Search tracked files
git grep "TODO"
Multiple checkouts
git worktree add
Current branch name
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
Search all history
git log --all --grep
Worktrees, Submodules & Sparse Checkout
advanced
git worktree - multiple checkouts of same repo
git worktree add ../hotfix hotfix/issue-42
# Work in ../hotfix while main dir stays on main
git worktree list
git worktree remove ../hotfix
Useful for reviewing PRs or hotfixes without stashing
Sparse checkout - only fetch specific folders (monorepos)
git sparse-checkout init
git sparse-checkout set packages/frontend docs/
git sparse-checkout list # show active patterns
git sparse-checkout disable # return to full checkout
Dramatically reduces checkout time for large monorepos
Submodules - embed a repo inside a repo
git submodule add <url> libs/shared
git submodule update --init --recursive
git clone --recurse-submodules <url>
git submodule update --remote # update to latest
Scripting & Utilities
advanced
rev-parse - resolve any ref to SHA
git rev-parse HEAD # full SHA
git rev-parse --short HEAD # short SHA
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD # branch name
git rev-parse --show-toplevel # repo root path
# In scripts:
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
SHA=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
Find common ancestor of two branches
git merge-base main feature/login
Export repo snapshot (no .git folder)
git archive --format=zip HEAD -o release.zip
git archive --format=tar.gz v1.0.0 -o v1.0.0.tar.gz
Count commits per author
git shortlog -sn
git shortlog -sn --since="30 days ago"
format-patch and am - email-style patch workflow
# Create patch files from last 3 commits
git format-patch -3 # produces .patch files
git format-patch main..feature # range as patches
# Apply a patch file
git am 0001-my-change.patch
git am --signoff *.patch # with sign-off trailer
rerere - replay recorded conflict resolutions
git config --global rerere.enabled true
# Git now records how you resolve conflicts.
# Next time the same conflict appears (e.g. repeated rebase),
# Git resolves it automatically.
git rerere # check status
git rerere diff # show recorded resolution
git rerere forget # forget a bad resolution
Maintenance and garbage collection
git gc # compress objects
git gc --aggressive # thorough (slower)
git prune # remove unreachable objects
git fsck # verify integrity
Sign commits with GPG
git config --global user.signingkey <key-id>
git commit -S -m "signed commit"
git config --global commit.gpgsign true
git log --show-signature
Rewrite history - remove a file from all commits
pip install git-filter-repo
git filter-repo --path secrets.txt --invert-paths
Rewrites all commit SHAs - all contributors must re-clone after this
Workflows
Quick reference
Start a feature
switch -c → push -u
Sync with main
fetch + rebase origin/main
Merge a feature
merge --no-ff → push
Create a release
tag -a → push --tags
Feature Branch Workflow
intermediate
Full feature branch lifecycle
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git switch main
git pull # start from latest main
git switch -c feature/my-feature
# ... make changes ...
git add -p # review hunks carefully
git commit -m "feat: my feature"
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main # rebase onto latest
git push -u origin feature/my-feature
# Open Pull Request → review → merge → delete branch
git branch -d feature/my-feature # cleanup local
Hotfix Workflow
intermediate
Emergency fix on production
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git switch main
git pull
git switch -c hotfix/issue-42
# ... fix the bug ...
git commit -am "fix: resolve issue 42"
git switch main
git merge --no-ff hotfix/issue-42
git tag -a v1.0.1 -m "Hotfix 1.0.1"
git push origin main --tags
git branch -d hotfix/issue-42
Undo a Recent Push / Clean Up History
advanceddestructive
Undo a push to a shared branch
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# Safe approach: revert the commit
git revert HEAD
git push
# Destructive approach (only if no one else has pulled):
git reset --hard HEAD~1
git push --force-with-lease
Force-pushing to shared branches rewrites history for all collaborators
Squash and clean before merging a PR
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git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main # rebase first
git rebase -i origin/main # interactive: squash WIP commits
# In editor: squash/fixup all WIP commits into one clean commit
# Write a clear final commit message
git push --force-with-lease # rewrite your remote branch
Syncing a Fork
intermediate
Keep your fork in sync with upstream
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# One-time setup
git remote add upstream <original-repo-url>
# Sync regularly
git fetch upstream
git switch main
git rebase upstream/main
git push origin main