Git Commands That Everyone Developer Should Know
What is Git !!, and do you need it as a programmer?.
Before moving forward it is my assumption that you already have git installed on your device, if not click here to check how to install git and also that you have a basic knowledge of the command line, if not check out the basic of command line
Working with local repositories
1.git init
This command turns a directory into an empty Git repository.This is the first stage in the repository creation process. Adding and committing files/directories is possible after running git init.
Example:
# change directory to codebase
$ cd /file/path/to/code
# make directory a git repository
$ git init
In practice
# change directory to codebase
$ cd/Documents/website
# make directory a git repository
$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in /Documents/website/.git/
2.git add
Adds files in the to the staging area for Git. Before a file is available to commit to a repository, the file needs to be added to the Git index (staging area). There are a few different ways to use git add, by adding entire directories, specific files, or all un-staged files.
Example
$ git add <file or directory name>
In practice
# To add all files not staged:
$ git add .
# To stage a specific file:
$ git add index.html
# To stage an entire directory:
$ git add css
3.git commit
Changes to the files should be saved to a local repository. Each commit has its own ID for easy identification.
It's best to include a message with each commit that explains the changes that were done. Adding a commit message aids in locating a specific change or comprehending the changes.
Example
# Adding a commit with message
$ git commit -m "Commit message in quotes"
In practice
$ git commit -m "My first commit message"
[SecretTesting 0254c3d] My first commit message
1 file changed, 0 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
create mode 100644 homepage/index.html
4.git status
This command returns the current state of the repository.
if there are no changes it’ll return nothing to commit, working directory clean or If a file is in the staging area, but not committed, it shows with git status
Example
$ git status
# Message when files have not been staged (git add)
$ git status
On branch SecretTesting
Untracked files:
(use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
homepage/index.html
# Message when files have been not been committed (git commit)
$ git status
On branch SecretTesting
Your branch is up-to-date with 'origin/SecretTesting'.
Changes to be committed:
(use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage)
new file: homepage/index.html
# Message when all files have been staged and committed
$ git status
On branch SecretTesting
nothing to commit, working directory clean
5.git branch
To determine what branch the local repository is on, add a new branch, or delete a branch.
Example
# Create a new branch
$ git branch <branch_name>
# List all remote or local branches
$ git branch -a
# Delete a branch
$ git branch -d <branch_name>
In practice
# Create a new branch
$ git branch new_feature
# List branches
$ git branch -a
* SecretTesting
new_feature
remotes/origin/stable
remotes/origin/staging
remotes/origin/master -> origin/SecretTesting
# Delete a branch
$ git branch -d new_feature
Deleted branch new_feature (was 0254c3d).
6.git checkout
To start working in a different branch, use git checkout to switch branches. Unlike git branch, this command, added with “-b” switches to the current branch specified immediately after creating the specified branch
Example
# Checkout an existing branch
$ git checkout <branch_name>
# Checkout and create a new branch with that name
$ git checkout -b <new_branch>
In practice
# Switching to branch 'new_feature'
$ git checkout new_feature
Switched to branch 'new_feature'
# Creating and switching to branch 'staging'
$ git checkout -b staging
Switched to a new branch 'staging'
7.git merge
Integrate branches together. git merge combines the changes from one branch to another branch. For example, merge the changes made in a staging branch into the stable branch.
Example
# Merge changes into current branch
$ git merge <branch_name>
in Practice
# Merge changes into current branch
$ git merge new_feature
Updating 0254c3d..4c0f37c
Fast-forward
homepage/index.html | 297 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 297 insertions(+)
create mode 100644 homepage/index.html
Working with remote repositories
When working with remote repositories, all the other command specified in the local repository is followed plus some other additional command
git remote
To connect a local repository with a remote repository. A remote repository can have a name set to avoid having to remember the URL of the repository.
Example
# Add remote repository
$ git remote <command> <remote_name> <remote_URL>
# List named remote repositories
$ git remote -v
In practice
# Adding a remote repository with the name of beanstalk
$ git remote add origin git@account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/acccount_name/repository_name.git
# List named remote repositories
$ git remote -v
origin git@account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/acccount_name/repository_name.git (fetch)
origin git@account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/acccount_name/repository_name.git (push)
git clone
Use git clone to copy and download an existing remote repository to a machine to build a local working copy. When working with a remote repository, cloning is the equivalent of git init. Git will establish a directory on your computer that contains all of your files and repository history.
Example
$ git clone <remote_URL>
In Practice
$ git clone git@account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/acccount_name/repository_name.git
Cloning into 'repository_name'...
remote: Counting objects: 5, done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.
remote: Total 5 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0)
Receiving objects: 100% (5/5), 3.08 KiB | 0 bytes/s, done.
Checking connectivity... done.
git pull
Run git pull to get the most recent version of a repository. This transfers updates from the remote repository to the local machine.
Example
$ git pull <branch_name> <remote_URL/remote_name>
In practise
# Pull from named remote
$ git pull origin staging
From account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/account_name/repository_name
* branch staging -> FETCH_HEAD
* [new branch] staging -> origin/staging
Already up-to-date.
# Pull from URL (not frequently used)
$ git pull git@account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/acccount_name/repository_name.git staging
From account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/account_name/repository_name
* branch staging -> FETCH_HEAD
* [new branch] staging -> origin/staging
Already up-to-date.
git push
Local commits are sent to the remote repository. The remote repository and the branch for which the push is being made are both required by git push.
Example
$ git push <remote_URL/remote_name> <branch>
# Push all local branches to remote repository
$ git push —all
In practise
# Push a specific branch to a remote with named remote
$ git push origin staging
Counting objects: 5, done.
Delta compression using up to 4 threads.
Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.
Writing objects: 100% (5/5), 734 bytes | 0 bytes/s, done.
Total 5 (delta 2), reused 0 (delta 0)
To git@account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/acccount_name/repository_name.git
ad189cb..0254c3d SecretTesting -> SecretTesting
# Push all local branches to remote repository
$ git push --all
Counting objects: 4, done.
Delta compression using up to 4 threads.
Compressing objects: 100% (4/4), done.
Writing objects: 100% (4/4), 373 bytes | 0 bytes/s, done.
Total 4 (delta 2), reused 0 (delta 0)
remote: Resolving deltas: 100% (2/2), completed with 2 local objects.
To git@account_name.git.beanstalkapp.com:/acccount_name/repository_name.git
0d56917..948ac97 master -> master
ad189cb..0254c3d SecretTesting -> SecretTesting
More Git Resources
Are you interested in learning more about Git and its various commands? There are a plethora of publications and websites dedicated to Git; here are a few of our favorites:
