Git Cheat Sheet

This cheat sheet provides an overview of essential Git commands categorized into Beginner, Intermediate/Advanced, and Expert levels. Additionally, it highlights the Most Used Git Commands for quick reference, common issues with solutions, workflow instructions, and necessary prerequisites.

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Prerequisites & Setup

Before starting, ensure you have the following installed and configured:

• Git: Download and install from git-scm.com
• Visual Studio Code: Download from code.visualstudio.com
• Configure Git (once installed):

  git config --global user.name "Your Name"
  git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
  

Optional:

• Set up SSH keys or credential helper for smoother authentication with remote repositories.

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1. Beginner

Basic commands to get started with Git

Command	Description	Example
git init	Initialize a new Git repository	git init
git clone	Clone an existing repository	git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
git status	Check the status of your working directory	git status
git add	Stage changes for commit	git add filename or git add . or git add *.py
git commit	Commit staged changes	git commit -m "Message"
git branch	List, create, or delete branches	git branch
git checkout	Switch branches or restore files	git checkout branch-name
git merge	Merge branches	git merge branch-name
git pull	Fetch and merge changes from remote	git pull origin main
git push	Push changes to remote	git push origin main

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2. Intermediate/Advanced

Commands for more control and collaboration

Command	Description	Example
git remote	Manage remote repositories	git remote add origin url
git fetch	Download objects and refs from another repository	git fetch
git rebase	Reapply commits on top of another base tip	git rebase branch-name
git stash	Temporarily store changes	git stash
git cherry-pick	Apply specific commits	git cherry-pick commit_hash
git reset	Reset current HEAD	git reset --hard commit_hash
git revert	Create a new commit that undoes changes	git revert commit_hash
git log	Show commit logs	git log or git log --oneline --graph
git diff	Show changes between commits, working directory, etc.	git diff
git tag	Create, list, or delete tags	git tag v1.0

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3. Expert

Advanced and rarely used commands

Command	Description	Example
git filter-branch	Rewrite history	git filter-branch --tree-filter 'rm -rf tmp/' HEAD
git cherry	Find commits not merged upstream	git cherry -v
git rerere	Reuse recorded resolution of conflicts	git rerere
git blame	Show who last modified each line	git blame filename
git submodule	Manage submodules	git submodule update --init
git gc	Cleanup unnecessary files and optimize repository	git gc
git fsck	Verify the connectivity and validity of objects	git fsck

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4. Most Used Git Commands (Quick Reference)

Command	Description
git clone	Clone a repository
git status	Check current status
git add	Stage changes
git commit	Commit staged changes
git push	Push to remote repository
git pull	Pull latest changes from remote
git branch	List or create branches
git checkout	Switch branches
git merge	Merge branches

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5. Common Git Issues & Solutions

Below are typical issues faced when working with Git, along with their solutions:

1. Issue: Merged code has conflicts that need resolution

• Symptom: Git reports conflicts during merge or rebase.
• Solution: Open conflicting files, look for conflict markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>), and manually resolve the conflicts. After resolving:

  git add <file>
  git commit
  

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2. Issue: Accidentally committed to the wrong branch

• Symptom: Committed changes on an unintended branch.
• Solution:
  • Switch to the correct branch:

    git checkout correct-branch
    

  • Cherry-pick commit(s) (if needed):

    git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
    

  • Optionally, reset the wrong branch:

    git checkout wrong-branch
    git reset --hard HEAD~1
    

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3. Issue: Local commits not pushing to remote (due to conflicts or diverged history)

• Symptom: Push fails due to non-fast-forward updates.
• Solution:
  • Pull latest changes with rebase:

    git pull --rebase
    

  • Resolve any conflicts, then push:

    git push
    

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4. Issue: Lost files after reset or revert

• Symptom: Files missing after a reset.
• Solution:
  • Check reflog to find lost commits/files:

    git reflog
    

  • Recover the commit:

    git checkout -b recovery_branch <commit_hash>
    

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5. Issue: Untracked files not added or committed

• Symptom: Files left untracked.
• Solution:
  • Check untracked files:

    git status
    

  • Add files:

    git add <file>
    

  • Commit:

    git commit -m "Add new files"
    

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6. Issue: Large repository size slowing down operations

• Symptom: Git repository becomes slow or bloated.
• Solution:
  • Clean up unnecessary files:

    git gc --prune=now --aggressive
    

  • Remove large unwanted files historically using filter-branch or tools like bfg-repo-cleaner.

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7. Issue: Conflicting changes between branches

• Symptom: Conflicts arise when merging branches.
• Solution:
  • Resolve conflicts manually by editing files or using git mergetool.
  • Carefully rebase or merge branches, considering the history and changes to minimize conflicts.

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6. Workflow for Cloning, Working, and Syncing

Initial Setup

Open Command Prompt and run the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/username/repositoryname
ls
cd .\repositoryname\
git remote -v
code .

• This clones the repository, opens the folder in Visual Studio Code, and prepares it for work.

Making Changes

After editing your files, commit and push your updates:

git add .
git commit -m "updated work"
git push origin main

For Others (Collaborators)

If you haven't made local changes yet, you don’t need to git add or git commit before git pull.

If you’ve already cloned the repository and want to sync the latest changes, follow these commands:

git pull origin main
git add .
git commit -m "your message"
git push origin main

• This stages your changes, commits, and pulls the latest updates from the remote repository to keep your local copy current.

It's also a good idea to occasionally fetch and review the log:

git fetch
git log --oneline --graph --all

to understand the commit history.

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7. Adding a Single File to an Existing Clone

If you've already cloned the repo and want to add a file:

Check current status

git status

Stage your new file

git add filename.ext

Commit with message

git commit -m "Add: description of the new file"

Pull latest changes (rebase)

git pull origin main --rebase

Push your changes

git push origin main

Replace filename.ext with your actual filename and description.

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8. Resources

• Official Git Documentation
• Pro Git Book
• GitHub Guides
• W3Schools Git Tutorial

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9. Responsible Usage & Credits

Built by Md Rakibul Hassan

This guide promotes the effective, responsible, and ethical use of Git and GitHub.

Misuse, including unauthorized data access, modification, or damage, is strictly prohibited. The author is not responsible for any consequences arising from the misuse of these instructions.

All content, credits, and intellectual property belong to their respective owners. This guide is intended for educational and personal use only, supporting best practices in version control.

Use Git and GitHub ethically.

Happy Git-ing! Happy coding!