leejunkim

Git Commands

5 min read

Adding a new repo

Make a git repo first.

# Initializes new github repo. 
# Creates a dir called .git that contains all git history
# Top down: any child dirs will get tracked
# DO NOT GIT INIT INSIDE A REPO (check w/ git status)
git init
 
#Staging  files
git add .
git add file1 file2
 
#Make a commit with all changes in the staged file
#Can group **similar changes together**
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git commit #opens up vim/text editor to put commit msg
# -a: adds every modified/deleted files (w/o `git add` command)
# -m: commit msg
git commit -a -m "New changes" #only works with files already tracked by git
git commit -am "New changes"

IMPORTANT git commands

# MOST IMPORTANT GIT COMMAND!!
# Tells you which branch you're on and its relationship to the remote repo (ahead x commits, behind y commits, etc)
git status
 
# lists the commit history of your current branch for a given repo
git log
git log --oneline # shortens git log output

”Amending” just the previous commit

# If you forgot to add a file and commited, then add the file first and do the command
git add forgotten_file.py
git commit --amend 
#this allows to change commit msg
  • Use this if you have to:
    • Add forgotten files
    • Change the commit message

Branches

# lists all branches in your local directory
git branch
git branch -v #more info
 
# creates branch **based upon the current HEAD** 
# does not switch
git branch test_branch
 
# switches branch
git switch test_branch
git checkout test_branch #checkout can do a million other things
 
# Create and switch to a new branch
git switch -c test_branch
git checkout -b test_branch
 
# Delete branch
# you have to be OUT of that branch & have it alr merged into another branch 
git branch -d text_branch
# deleting by force if you haven't merged it
git branch -D text_branch 
 
# Rename branch (we change it ON the branch)
git branch -m text2_branch
git branch -move text2_branch
git branch -M text_2branch # forcefully renames, overwritting the old one if any
 
# Merging branch
git switch master #change to receiver branch
git merge bugfix #merge into master

git stash

"""The most common commands"""
# stashes all uncommited changes(staged and unstaged)
git stash 
git stash save # same as above
 
# Removes the most recently stashed changes in your stash and re-apply them to your working copy
git stash pop
 
""" ====== Rare commands ====== """
#  Applies whatever is stashed away, without removing it from the stash. # This can be useful if you want to apply stashed changes to multiple branches
git stash apply
 
"""multiple stashes (which is kinda unusual..lol)"""
git stash list
git stash apply stash@{1}
git stash pop #pops the last stash
git stash drop stash@{1} # deletes the stash (if you aren't using pop)
git stash clear # empties stash list

git diff

# lists all the changes in working directory NOT staged for the next commit
# working directory (X staged, where you're on) vs staging area (added, but uncommited)
git diff 
# shows what you could have added (staged) but haven't added yet
# a - staging area, b - working directory
 
# git (last commited state) vs staging area (added, but uncommited)
git diff --staged
git diff --cached
# shows what you've staged and are about to commit
 
# lists all changes in working tree since last commit
git diff HEAD
 
# Diff-ing specific files
git diff HEAD [filename1] [filename2]
git diff --staged [filename]
 
# Comparing changes between tips of branch1 and branch2
# changes between ALL commited files that exist in those 2 branches!!
git diff branch1..branch2
git diff branch1 branch2
 
# Diff. bet. commits (use the commit hashes)
git diff commit1..commit2
  • A more comprehensive explanation: Git diff

Removing all existing git history

rm -rf .git

Working with remote git repo

Cloning a repo
git clone <url> #clones the entire repo
git clone -b branch1 <url> #clones a specific branch1
  • git clone <url>
    • not tied to github but its a git command
    • Works with any git repos
  • A remote tracking branch: <remote>/<default-branch>
    • In my computer
      • master branch: When you clone a repo, whatever the repo has it’s default branch, that’s what we will start with (in this case master).
      • Remote tracking branch origin/master: Points to the master branch in the origin remote!
        • master because it’s the default branch
# we can see the remote branches our local repo knows about
git branch -r
 
# origin/HEAD -> origin/master  # HEAD points to the default branch
# origin/master  # Remote branch tracking the remote's master branch
# origin/feature  # Other remote branches (e.g., a feature branch)
Push an existing repo from the CLI
git remote add origin https://github/com/lkim0402/(repo)
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

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