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Git Cheat Sheet

Installation & GUIS

• With platform specific installers for Git, Github also provides the ease of staying up-to-date with the latest release of the command line tool while providing a graphical user interface for day-to-day interaction, review, and repository synchronization.

• For Linux and Solaris platforms, the latest release is available on the official Git web site.

• Git for All Platforms: http://git-scm.com

Setup

Configuring user information used across all local repositories:

• Set a name that is identifiable for credit when review version history

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  git config --global user.name "<firstname lastname>"
  

• Set an email address that will be associated with each history marker

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  git config --global user.email "<valid_email>"
  

• Set automatic command line coloring for Git for easy reviewing

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  git config --global color.ui auto
  

• Show system, global, and (if inside a repository) local configs

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  git config --list
  

• Also shows the origin file of each config item

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  git config --list --show-origin
  

Initialization

• Initialize an existing directory as a Git repository

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  git init
  

• Retrieve an entire repository from a hosted location via URL

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  git clone <url>
  

Stage & Snapshot

Working with snapshots and the Git staging area:

• Show modified files in working directory, staged for your next commit

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  git status
  

• Add a file as it looks now to your next commit (stage)

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  git add <file>
  

• Unstage a file while retaining the changes in working directory

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  git reset <file>
  

• diff of what is changed but not stanged

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  git diff
  

• diff of what is staged but not yet committed

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  git diff --staged
  

• Commit your staged content as a new commit snapshot

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  git commit -m "<descriptive_message>"
  

   

Branch & Merge

Isolating work in branches, changing context, and integrating changes:

• List your branches, a * will appear next to the currently active branch

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  git branch
  

• Create a new branch at the current commit

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  git branch <branch_name>
  

• Switch to another branch and check it out into your working directory

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  git checkout
  

• Merge the specified branch's history into the current one

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  git merge <branch>
  

• Show all commits in the current branch's history

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  git log
  

   

Inspect & Compare

Examining logs, diffs and object information:

• Show the commit history for the currently active branch

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  git log
  

• Show the commits on branchA that are not on branchB

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  git log branchB..branchA
  

• Show the commits that changed file, even across renames

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  git log --follow <file>
  

• Show the diff of what is in branchA that are not in branchB

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  git diff branchB..branchA
  

• Show any object in Git in human-readable format

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  git show <SHA>
  

   

Tracking Path Changes

Versioning file removes and path changes:

• Delete the file from project and stage the removal for commit

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  git rm <file>
  

• Change an existing file path and stage the move

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  git mv <existing_path> <new_path>
  

• Show all commit logs with indication of any paths that moved

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  git log --stat -M
  

Ignoring Patterns

Preventing unintentional staging or committing of files:

• Add the name of the file or the path to the directory to ignore tracking in the .gitignore file

Share & Update

Retrieving updates from another repository and updating local repos:

• Add a git URL as an alias

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  git remote add <alias> <url>
  

• Fetch down all the branches from that Git remote

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  git fetch <alias>
  

  After 'git fetch', 'git log' and 'git status' will show you the difference between origin/master(remote repository) and HEAD->master(local reposiory)

• Merge a remote branch into your current branch to bring it up to date

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  git merge <alias>/<branch>
  

• Transmit local branch commits to the remote repository branch

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  git push <alias> <branch>
  

• Fetch and merge any commits from the tracking remote branch

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  git pull
  

Rewrite History

Rewriting branches, updating commits and clearing history:

• apply any commits of current branch ahead of specified one

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  git rebase <branch>
  

• clear staging area, rewrite working tree from specified commit

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  git reset --hard <commit>
  

Temporary Commits

Temporarily store modified, tracked files in order to change branches:

• save modified and staged changes

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  git stash
  

• list stack-order of stashed file changes

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  git stash list
  

• write working from top of stash stack

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  git stash pop
  

• discard the changes from top of stash stack

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  git stash drop