Mastering Git with Key Commands

Blog: Mastering Git with Key Commands

Git is a powerful, free, and open-source distributed version control system that simplifies collaboration and version management. Here’s a concise guide to mastering Git with the most essential commands and features.

1. Setup and Configuration

Start by configuring Git for seamless operation:

git config --global user.name "[Firstname Lastname]": Set your name for commit history.
git config --global user.email "[valid-email]": Associate an email with your commits.
git config --global color.ui auto: Enable automatic command line coloring for clarity.

2. Repository Initialization and Cloning

git init: Turn an existing directory into a Git repository.
git clone [url]: Copy a repository from a URL to your local machine.

3. Staging and Committing Changes

git status: View modified files in the working directory.
git add [file]: Stage changes for the next commit.
git commit -m "[descriptive message]": Save your staged changes as a new commit.

4. Branching and Merging

git branch: List all branches, marking the current one.
git branch [branch-name]: Create a new branch.
git checkout [branch-name]: Switch to another branch.
git merge [branch]: Integrate changes from another branch into the current one.

git remote add [alias] [url]: Add a remote repository.
git fetch [alias]: Download all branches from the remote repository.
git merge [alias]/[branch]: Merge a remote branch into your local branch.
git push [alias] [branch]: Upload local commits to the remote repository.
git pull: Fetch and merge changes from the remote repository.

6. Tracking Path Changes

git rm [file]: Delete a file and stage the removal.
git mv [existing-path] [new-path]: Move or rename a file.
git log --stat -M: Show commit logs with moved file paths.

7. Temporary Commit Management

git stash: Temporarily save modifications without committing.
git stash list: Display a list of stashed changes.
git stash pop: Apply and remove stashed changes.
git stash drop: Delete a stash entry.

8. Rewriting History

git rebase [branch]: Apply commits of the current branch on top of another.
git reset --hard [commit]: Discard changes and reset to a specific commit.

9. Inspecting and Comparing

git log: View the commit history of the current branch.
git log branchB..branchA: See commits in BranchA but not in BranchB.
git diff branchB...branchA: Show differences between two branches.
git show [SHA]: Display any Git object in a readable format.

10. Ignoring Files

Prevent accidental staging of files with patterns in a .gitignore file:

Use direct string matches or wildcard globs.
Example:
```
  logs/
  *.notes
  pattern*/
```

GUI and Installation

Git also offers graphical user interfaces for streamlined usage:

Windows: GitHub for Windows
Mac: GitHub for Mac
Linux/Solaris: Download from Git SCM

Conclusion

Mastering Git commands can significantly improve your productivity and collaboration in software projects. Start small, practice regularly, and watch your proficiency grow!