Git Basics

A quick reference guide for the most commonly used Git commands.

Repository Setup

# Initialize a new repository
git init

# Clone an existing repository
git clone <repository-url>

Basic Commands

# Check status
git status

# Stage changes
git add <file>
git add .  # Stage all changes

# Commit changes
git commit -m "commit message"

# Push changes
git push origin <branch>

Branching

# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b <branch-name>

# Switch branches
git checkout <branch-name>

# List branches
git branch

# Delete branch
git branch -d <branch-name>

Remote Operations

# Add remote
git remote add origin <repository-url>

# List remotes
git remote -v

# Fetch changes
git fetch

# Pull changes
git pull origin <branch>

History & Diff

# View commit history
git log
git log --oneline  # Compact view

# View changes
git diff
git diff --staged  # View staged changes