DevOpsDecember 16, 2019

Basic Git commands: Every developer should know

RK

Ramesh Kannan

Senior .NET Full Stack Developer

#git

Git is a free and open-source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.

Here are some basic Git commands you need to know.

Clone the Repository

Syntax

git clone {url} — Here {url} represents the Git Repository URL

Example
git clone https://git.com/example/example-repository

By default, this command clones the default branch of the repository (in most cases, master). To clone a specific branch:

Syntax
git clone {url} -b {branch_name}
Example
git clone https://git.com/example/example-repository -b development

Change Local Working Branch

To change the local working branch, use the checkout command.

Syntax
git checkout origin/{branch_name}
Example
git checkout origin/master

Fetch Changes from Remote

To fetch all changes from remote, use the fetch command.

Syntax
git fetch --origin

NOTE: This command will not merge the changes into the local branch.

Pull Updates from Remote

To update the local branch:

Syntax
git pull

Merge Changes from Another Branch

To merge changes from another remote branch:

Syntax
git pull --no-rebase "origin" {branch_name}
Example
git pull --no-rebase "origin" development

This command pulls all changes from the development branch and merges them locally.

Check the Status of Local Changes

List the files you have changed and need to stage or commit:

git status

Stage Your Files

To stage your files, use the add command.

Syntax
git add {file_path}
Examples
  1. Add a specific file: git add test/file.md
  2. Add an entire folder: git add {folder_name}
  3. Add files by extension: git add *.css
  4. Add all files: git add .

Commit Changes

To commit the staged changes:

Syntax
git commit -m "{message}"
Example
git commit -m "Test commit"

NOTE:

  • A commit message is required for all commits.
  • Changes will not be pushed to remote unless you explicitly push them.

Push Changes to Remote

git push

Revert All Local Changes

To discard all local uncommitted changes:

git reset --hard

Delete Unstaged Files

To delete all untracked files:

git clean -df

Options:

  • -d — Recurse into directories and delete.
  • -f — Force delete.

References

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