📚 Essential Git Commands Cheat Sheet
You don’t need to memorize every Git command. For our daily workflow, you will only need these few.
## Starting a Project
| Command |
Description |
git clone <url> |
For existing projects: Downloads and prepares a copy of a remote repository. This is the most common way to start. |
git init |
For brand-new projects: Creates a new, empty Git repository in your current folder. Use this only when starting a project locally from scratch. |
## Daily Updates
| Command |
Description |
git pull origin main |
Get updates: Downloads and merges the latest changes from GitHub. Do this before starting new work. |
## The Core Workflow: Creating a Feature
| Command |
Description |
git checkout -b <branch-name> |
1. Create a branch: Creates a new branch for your task and switches to it. |
git status |
2. Check your work: Shows which files you have changed. |
git diff |
3. See change details: Shows the exact line-by-line changes in your files. |
git add . |
4. Stage your changes: Prepares your changed files to be saved. |
git commit -m "message" |
5. Save your changes: Creates a commit (a save point) of your staged files. |
git push origin <branch-name> |
6. Share your work: Uploads your branch and its commits to GitHub, ready for a Pull Request. |
## Useful Commands for Navigation
| Command |
Description |
git log --oneline |
See history: Shows a compact history of all the commits. |
git branch |
List branches: Shows all branches on your local machine. |
git checkout <branch-name> |
Switch branches: Changes your view to another existing branch. |
## Deeper Concept: git fetch vs. git pull
| Command |
Description |
git fetch origin |
Downloads without merging: Fetches new changes but doesn’t apply them. This is a safe way to review updates before merging. |
git pull origin main |
Downloads AND merges: A shortcut that runs git fetch and git merge in one step. |