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Git Cheatsheet

Basic Operations​

View current branch status​

Use git status​

git status

To check the status of your current git project, you can use the git status command. This command will give you an overview of any unpushed commits and the details of any untracked/staged files that you might have in your current project.

Do not forget to check this command before you start developing on a new feature. You definitely do not want to work for 30-60 minutes on a functionality only to find out that you did it in the wrong branch.

Staging (Adding) Files​

Adding a single file​

git add <file_name>

Adding multiple files​

git add <file-1> <file-2> <file-3> ... <file-n>

Adding all unstaged files​

git add .

Commit​

Commit using default text editor (vi in most cases)​

# If using vi: Write commit message by pressing 'i' to enter insert mode, type your commit message, press 'ESCAPE' to exit insert mode, then type :wq to save.
git commit

Note that vi has a very steep learning curve. If you accidentally find yourself in this editor, exit it by doing the following:

  1. Press : (SHIFT + ;)
  2. Type q! and press ENTER
  3. Continue creating a commit by using git commit -m "<MESSAGE>"

Commit using command line flag (git commit -m)​

git commit -m "COMMIT MESSAGE HERE"

Branch​

In general when switching branches you can use either git checkout or git switch. Online tutorials will usually teach you how to change branches using git checkout, but it is up to you which one to use.

Switching Branches​

Option 1: using git checkout​
git checkout <branch_name>
Option 2: using git switch​
git switch <branch_name>

Creating A New Branch (based on current branch)​

Option 1: using git checkout​
git checkout -b <branch_name>
Option 2: using git switch​
git switch -c <branch_name>

Branches are used to manage multiple versions of your code. This is useful when working in a team and/or to have a separate space for implementing features of your website so it can be more easily managed.

You should always take advantage of branches in complex projects, especially when doing group work as it minimizes the risk of having conflicts between you and your co-workers.