100 Plus – Git Commands to Master Your Code

Want to manage while tracking changes or update your codebase efficiently using Git commands. Git commands are widely used in the software development community to perform various tasks, such as tracking changes to your code, creating branches, and merging changes.

GIT, an extensively employed open-source version control system (VCS), serves as a means to monitor modifications made to files. In software and application development, companies and programmers frequently rely on GIT to foster collaboration.

A GIT project encompasses three principal segments: the working directory, the staging area, and the git directory.

The working directory serves as the space where additions, deletions, and file modifications occur. Subsequently, these alterations are staged or indexed within the staging area. Once you commit the changes, a snapshot capturing the modifications is stored within the git directory.

Now that you know the basic and principal segments of Git and Git commands, then let’s get into Git terminology first.

Git Terminology 

Git offers vast amounts of terminology and jargon to their commands, which can be confusing for some users. or those who are familiar with Git basics but aspire to master it. Therefore, we need to briefly explain the vocabulary used by the tools. Let’s examine the terminologies that are frequently used.

Here is a official site – Git – gitglossary Documentation

• Branch: A branch represents a parallel iteration of your project.
• Commit: A commit denotes a snapshot capturing the historical state of your project.
• Diff: A diff entails a comparison between two versions of a file.
• HEAD: HEAD signifies the present snapshot of your project.
• Index: The index acts as an intermediary area for staging impending commit changes.
• Log: The log provides a record of your project’s chronological progression.
• Merge: Merging entails the amalgamation of alterations from two branches.
• Remote: A remote designates a repository external to your local repository.
• Rebase: Rebasing involves aligning your local branch with changes made in a remote branch.
• Reset: Resetting involves reverting changes made to your local repository.
• Revert: Reverting involves undoing a previous commit.
• Staging area: The staging area serves as a temporary storage location for imminent commit modifications.
• Tag: A tag serves as a reference to a specific commit.
• Working directory: The working directory signifies the current working location where you operate.

Git Commands 

Here is a list of Git commands with their descriptions.

• Main porcelain commands

Commands	Description
git-add	Adds file contents to the index
git-am	Apply many fixes obtained from a mailbox
git-archive	Makes a file archive from a named tree.
git-bisect	Uses binary search to find the commit that introduced a bug
git-branch	Lists, creates, or deletes branches
git-bundle	Moves objects and refs by archive
git-checkout	Switches branches or restores working tree files
git-cherry-pick	Applies the changes introduced by some existing commits
git-citool	Graphical alternative to git-commit
git-clean	Removes untracked files from the working tree
git-clone	Clones a repository into a new directory
git-commit	Records changes to the repository
git-describe	Gives an object a human-readable name based on an available ref
git-diff	changes between commits, between a commit and the working tree, etc.
git-fetch	Downloads objects and refs from another repository
git-format-patch	Prepares patches for email submission
git-gc	optimizes the local repository and removes unneeded files
git-grep	Prints lines matching a pattern
git-gui	A portable graphical interface to Git
git-init	Either creates a new, empty Git repository or resets an existing one.
git-log	Shows commit logs
git-maintenance	Runs tasks to optimize Git repository data
git-merge	Joins two or more development histories together
git-mv	Changes the name or location of a file, directory, or symlink.
git-notes	Adds or inspects object notes
git-pull	Obtains data from and merges it with a local branch or a different repository.
git-push	Updates remote refs along with associated objects
git-range-diff	Compares two commit ranges (e.g., two versions of a branch)
git-rebase	Reapplies commits over another base recommendation
git-reset	Resets current HEAD to the specified state
git-restore	Restores working tree files
git-revert	Reverts some existing commits
git-rm	Deletes files from the index and the working tree.
git-shortlog	Summarizes git log output
git-show	Shows various types of objects
git-sparse-checkout	Reduces your working tree to a subset of tracked files
git-stash	Stashes the modifications in an unclean working directory.
git-status	Shows the working tree status
git-submodule	Initializes, updates, or inspects submodules
git-switch	Switches branches
git-tag	Creates, lists, deletes, or checks a tag object that is GPG-signed.
git-worktree	Manages multiple working trees

Ancillary Commands

• Manipulators:

Commands	Description
git-config	Get and set repository or global options
git-fast-export	Git data exporter
git-fast-import	Backend for fast Git data importers
git-filter-branch	Rewrite branches
git-mergetool	To resolve merge conflicts, use merge conflict resolution software.
git-pack-refs	Pack heads and tags for quick access to the repository
git-prune	Trim the object database of any inaccessible items.
git-reflog	Manage reflog information
git-remote	Manage a set of tracked repositories
git-repack	Pack unpack objects in a repository
git-replace	To replace objects, create, list, or remove references.

• Interrogators

Commands	Description
git-annotate	Annotate file lines with commit information
git-blame	Display revision and author information for each line of a file
git-cherry	Find commits that are yet to be applied to the upstream
git-count-objects	Count the number of unpacked items and the amount of disc space they take up.
git-diff-files	Compare files between the working tree and the index
git-diff-index	A tree’s comparison with the working tree or index
git-difftool	Show changes using external diff tools
git-for-each-ref	Output information on each reference
git-fsck	Verify the connectivity and validity of objects in the database
git-get-tar-commit-id	Extract commit ID from an archive created using git-archive
git-help	Display help information about Git
git-instaweb	Quickly browse your working repository using gitweb
git-merge-base	Find the most recent common ancestor for a merge
git-merge-file	Perform a three-way file merge
git-merge-index	Merge files that require merging
git-merge-one-file	The standard helper program for git-merge-tree
git-mergetool	Run merge conflict resolution tools
git-mergetool–lib	Common file conflict resolution functions
git-mktag	Create a tag object
git-name-rev	Find symbolic names for given revisions
git-pack-objects	Create a packed archive of objects
git-prune	Get rid of all inaccessible items in the object database.
git-prune-packed	Remove redundant objects that are already in pack files
git-quiltimport	Apply a quilt patchset onto the current branch
git-read-tree	Read tree information into the index
git-receive-pack	Receive and apply pushed changes to the repository
git-repack	Pack unpacked objects in the repository
git-replace	To replace objects, create, list, or remove references.
git-rerere	Reuse recorded resolutions of conflicted merges
git-send-email	Send a collection of patches as emails
git-sh-i18n	Git’s internationalization setup code for shell scripts
git-shell	Restricted login shell for Git-only SSH access
git-sh-setup	Common Git shell script setup code
git-sh-i18n–envsubst	Git’s internationalization setup code for scripts that use envsubst
git-show-index	Show the packed archive index
git-show-ref	List references in a local repository
git-stage	Add file contents to the staging area
git-stripspace	Remove unnecessary whitespace
git-symbolic-ref	Read, modify, or delete symbolic references
git-tar-tree	Create a tar archive of files in a named tree object
git-unpack-file	Create a temporary file with the contents of a blob
git-unpack-objects	Unpack objects from a packed archive
git-update-index	Add file contents in the working tree to the index
git-update-ref	Update the object name stored in a reference
git-upload-archive	Send an archive back to git-archive
git-upload-pack	Send packed objects back to git-fetch-pack
git-var	Show a Git logical variable
git-verify-pack	Validate packed Git archive files
git-write-tree	Make a tree object starting with the current index.
git-checkout-index	Copy files from the index to the working tree
git-commit-tree	Create a new commit object
git-hash-object	Compute the object ID and optionally create a blob from a file
git-mktree	Build a tree object from ls-tree formatted text
git-pack-refs	Pack heads and tags for quick access to the repository
git-revert	Revert existing commits
git-show	Show various types of objects
git-show-branch	Show branches and their commits
git-show-index	Show the packed archive index
git-show-ref	List references in a local repository
git-stash	Stash changes in a dirty working directory
git-status	Show the status of the working tree
git-switch	Switch branches
git-tag	A tag object can be created, listed, removed, or verified.
git-unpack-objects	Unpack objects from a packed archive
git-update-index	Add file contents in the working tree to the index
git-update-ref	Update the object name stored in a reference
git-worktree	Manage multiple working trees
git-write-tree	Create a tree object from the current index

If you want even more commands, such as Interrogation commands, Syncing repositories, Internal helper commands, even Guides. You want can find it here on their official directory – git Documentation

Conclusion

Git commands encompass a wide range of functionalities, providing comprehensive support for version control. Attempting to memorize the entirety of Git commands can be overwhelming and impractical. However, leveraging these commands when working on complex projects can greatly enhance productivity and efficiency. If there are any crucial commands that I may have overlooked or if you have additional insights to contribute, I invite you to leave a comment below. Collaboration and knowledge sharing are vital for mastering the Git workflow.

FAQs on Git Commands

Q1: What are Git commands?

Git commands are a set of instructions used with the Git version control system to perform various operations such as initializing a repository, tracking changes, creating branches, merging code, collaborating with others, and more.

Q2: Why are Git commands important?

Git commands are essential for developers as they provide a structured way to manage and track changes in their projects. These commands enable efficient collaboration, version control, and code management, making it easier to work on software development projects.

Q3: How do I start using Git commands?

To start using Git commands, you first need to install Git on your computer. Once installed, you can open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory where your project resides. From there, you can use various Git commands to initialize a repository and perform other operations.

Q4: What are some common Git commands?

Some common Git commands include:

• git init: Initializes a new Git repository.
• git add: Adds a file or changes to the staging area.
• git commit -m “message”: Commits the changes with a descriptive message.
• git push: Pushes local changes to a remote repository.
• git pull: Fetches and merges changes from a remote repository.
• git branch: Lists all branches in the repository.
• git merge: Merges changes from one branch into another.