Git and GitHub Commands Cheat Sheet

This repository contains notes about Git workflows. Below is a curated list of commonly used Git/GitHub commands, followed by a short list of commands commonly used while creating these notes.

Core Workflow

• git init — Initialize a new Git repository
• git clone <url> — Clone an existing repository
• git status — Show working tree status
• git add <path> / git add . — Stage changes
• git restore --staged <path> — Unstage a file
• git commit -m "message" — Commit staged changes
• git commit --amend — Amend the last commit
• git diff — Show unstaged changes
• git diff --staged — Show staged changes
• git log --oneline --graph --decorate --all — Compact, visual history

Branching

• git branch — List local branches
• git branch <name> — Create a branch
• git switch <name> — Switch to a branch
• git switch -c <name> — Create and switch in one step
• git checkout <name> — Older alternative to switch
• git branch -d <name> — Delete merged branch locally
• git branch -D <name> — Force delete branch locally

Merging and Rebasing

• git merge <branch> — Merge a branch into the current branch
• git merge --no-ff <branch> — Create a merge commit even if fast-forward is possible
• git rebase <base> — Rebase current branch onto another base
• git rebase -i <base> — Interactive rebase (reorder/squash/fixup)
• git rebase --continue / --abort — Continue or abort a rebase

Resolving Conflicts

• Edit conflicting files, then: git add <files> and git merge --continue or git rebase --continue
• Abort if needed: git merge --abort or git rebase --abort

Stash (Saving WIP)

• git stash push -m "message" — Stash tracked changes with a message
• git stash list — List stashes
• git stash show -p stash@{n} — Show a stash patch
• git stash apply stash@{n} — Apply a stash (keep it)
• git stash pop — Apply and drop the latest stash
• git stash push -u — Include untracked files

Remotes and GitHub

• git remote -v — List remotes
• git remote add origin <url> — Add a remote
• git fetch — Fetch remote refs without merging
• git pull — Fetch and merge remote changes into current branch
• git push — Push current branch to its upstream
• git push -u origin <branch> — Push and set upstream
• git push origin --delete <branch> — Delete remote branch
• git tag <vX.Y.Z> — Create a lightweight tag
• git tag -a <vX.Y.Z> -m "message" — Create an annotated tag
• git push origin <tag> / --tags — Push tags

Inspect and Navigate History

• git show <ref> — Show details about a ref (commit, tag)
• git blame <file> — Show last modification per line
• git reflog — Show reference log of branch tips (recover lost work)

Fixing Mistakes (Safety First)

• git restore <path> — Restore file from index or commit
• git restore --source=<ref> <path> — Restore from a specific commit
• git reset --soft <ref> — Move HEAD; keep index and working tree
• git reset --mixed <ref> — Move HEAD and reset index (default)
• git reset --hard <ref> — Reset HEAD, index, and working tree (destructive)
• git revert <commit> — Create a new commit that undoes a commit

Cleanup and Maintenance

• git clean -n — Preview removal of untracked files
• git clean -fd — Remove untracked files and directories
• .gitignore — Configure ignored files

Configuration and Aliases

• git config --global user.name "Your Name"
• git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
• git config --global init.defaultBranch main
• Example aliases:
  • git config --global alias.co switch
  • git config --global alias.br branch
  • git config --global alias.ci commit
  • git config --global alias.st status
  • git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --decorate --all"

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Commands Commonly Used to Create These Notes

These reflect typical commands used while structuring and committing the materials in this repo:

1. Repository setup and structure

• git init
• mkdir <topic>/notes and add markdown files
• git add .
• git commit -m "Add initial notes structure"

2. Iterating on content

• git status
• git add -p (stage changes interactively)
• git commit -m "Add notes for <topic>"

3. Branching for topics and merging

• git switch -c <topic-branch>
• Edit/add files under <topic>/notes/
• git add . && git commit -m "Add <topic> notes"
• git switch main
• git merge <topic-branch>
• git branch -d <topic-branch>

4. Conflict practice and resolution (where relevant to lessons)

• git merge <branch> → resolve conflicts in editor
• git add <resolved-files>; git merge --continue

5. Remote/GitHub integration (if connected)

• git remote add origin <repo-url>
• git push -u origin main
• git push -u origin <branch>

6. History review and cleanup

• git log --oneline --graph --decorate --all
• git stash push -m "wip" and git stash pop (when parking WIP)
• git tag -a v0.1 -m "first notes set" (optional)

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Tip: Use git lg (alias above) to keep an always-useful, compact view of your history.