Git Commands
Introduction to Git
Git is a distributed version control system renowned for its ability to manage projects of various scales with efficiency and speed. Originally developed by Linus Torvalds for managing the Linux kernel development, Git has become an essential tool in modern software development.
Its distributed nature allows developers to work offline, commit changes locally, and synchronize their work with remote repositories seamlessly. Git tracks changes to files, enabling developers to revert to previous versions, manage different branches for feature development, and collaborate effectively across teams.
Used extensively in both open-source and proprietary projects, Git's popularity stems from its robustness, scalability, and the rich ecosystem of tools and services built around it. Whether you're working on a small personal project or coordinating with a global team on a large-scale application, Git provides the foundation for efficient version control and collaborative software development.
Installing Git
To install Git on your Windows machine, follow these steps:
- Download Git from the official Git website: Git for Windows
- Run the downloaded installer file and follow the installation instructions.
- During installation, you can customize settings as per your preference.
- Once installed, open Git Bash or Git GUI to start using Git commands.
git init
Description:
git initcreates an empty Git repository or reinitializes an existing one.
.git directory is created in the current directory.
git clone <repository-url>
Description:
git clone <repository-url>copies an existing Git repository to your local machine.
git status
Description:
git statusshows which changes have been staged, which haven't, and which files aren't being tracked by Git.
git add <file>
Description:
git add <file>stages the specified file, preparing it for a commit.
git commit -m "Commit message"
Description:
git commit -m "Commit message"commits the staged changes to the repository with the specified commit message.
git push origin <branch-name>
Description:
git push origin <branch-name>sends committed changes from your local repository to the remote repository specified byorigin.
git pull
Description:
git pullretrieves new work from the remote repository and integrates it with your local branch.
git branch
Description:
git branchdisplays a list of all branches in the local repository, highlighting the current branch.
git checkout <branch-name>
Description:
git checkout <branch-name>changes the current working branch to the specified branch.
git merge <branch-name>
Description:
git merge <branch-name>integrates changes from the specified branch into the current branch.
git log
Description:
git logdisplays a list of commits with details such as hash, author, date, and message.
git reset --hard <commit>
Description:
git reset --hard <commit>moves the HEAD to the specified commit and discards all changes in the working directory and index.
git stash
Description:
git stashstores modified tracked files, staging area changes, and working directory changes to a stash.
git stash pop
Description:
git stash poprestores the most recently stashed changes to the working directory and removes them from the stash list.
git remote add <name> <url>
Description:
git remote add <name> <url>creates a new reference to a remote repository.
git remote -v
Description:
git remote -vshows the URLs of the remote repositories for fetch and push operations.
git tag <tag-name>
Description:
git tag <tag-name>creates a new tag at the current commit.
git diff
Description:
git diffdisplays the differences between the working directory and the index.
git fetch
Description:
git fetchretrieves updates from a remote repository without merging them.
git rebase <base-branch>
Description:
git rebase <base-branch>moves or combines a sequence of commits to a new base commit.