Git Cheatsheet

Print-friendly reference for essential Git commands

Setup

Command	Description
git config --global user.name "Name"	Set your name
git config --global user.email "email"	Set your email
git init	Initialize new repository
git clone url	Clone existing repository

Daily Workflow

Check Status

git status          # See what's changed
git diff            # See unstaged changes
git diff --staged   # See staged changes
git log --oneline   # See commit history

Make Changes

git add file        # Stage specific file
git add .           # Stage all changes
git reset file      # Unstage file
git commit -m "msg" # Commit with message

Sync with Remote

git pull            # Get latest changes
git push            # Upload your commits
git push -u origin branch  # First push of new branch

Branches

Command	Description
git branch	List branches
git branch name	Create branch
git checkout name	Switch to branch
git checkout -b name	Create and switch
git merge name	Merge branch into current
git branch -d name	Delete branch

Common Scenarios

Start New Feature

git checkout -b feature/new-thing
# make changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add new thing"
git push -u origin feature/new-thing

Fix Mistake Before Commit

# Forgot a file
git add forgotten.txt
git commit --amend --no-edit

# Wrong commit message
git commit --amend -m "New message"

Undo Last Commit (Keep Changes)

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Discard All Local Changes

git checkout .       # Discard file changes
git clean -fd        # Remove untracked files

See What Happened

git log --oneline -10     # Last 10 commits
git log --oneline --graph # Visual history
git show abc123           # Show specific commit
git blame file            # Who changed each line

Remote Operations

Command	Description
git remote -v	Show remotes
git fetch	Download remote changes
git pull	Fetch + merge
git push	Upload commits

Stashing

git stash           # Save work temporarily
git stash pop       # Restore and remove stash
git stash list      # See all stashes
git stash drop      # Delete stash

Commit Message Format

Short summary (50 chars or less)

Longer explanation if needed. Wrap at 72 characters.
Explain the why, not the what.

- Use bullet points for lists
- Start with verb (Add, Fix, Update, Remove)

Good Commit Messages

# Good
git commit -m "Add email validation to login form"
git commit -m "Fix crash when user has no profile photo"
git commit -m "Remove deprecated API calls"

# Bad
git commit -m "fix"
git commit -m "WIP"
git commit -m "stuff"

.gitignore Essentials

# Dependencies
node_modules/

# Build output
dist/
build/

# Environment
.env
.env.local

# IDE
.idea/
.vscode/

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

Emergency Commands

# Undo public commit (creates new commit)
git revert abc123

# Go back in time (dangerous!)
git reset --hard abc123

# See what you've done recently
git reflog

WARNING

Commands with --hard or --force can lose work. Use carefully!

---

Print this page for quick reference!