Git Commands Reference

Introduction

Git is a version control system that helps you track changes in your code, collaborate with others, and revert to previous versions when needed.

Why Git Knowledge is Essential

Work in teams without code conflicts.
Track and document changes over time.
Quickly roll back if something breaks.

1️⃣ Git Basics

Check Git Version

git --version

Git Configurations

List Configurations

git config --list

Set Global User Info

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

Automatically Prune Deleted Remote Branches

git config --global fetch.prune true

For a specific repository:

git config --local fetch.prune true

Verify Configuration

git config --global --get fetch.prune
git config --local --get fetch.prune

2️⃣ Working with Repositories

Initialize a Repository

git init

Clone a Repository

git clone https://github.com/company/project.git

Check Repository Status

git status

It shows:

Modified files
New files
Untracked files

3️⃣ Committing Changes

Add & Commit Files

git add .
git commit -m "Fixed bug in functions.php"

4️⃣ Working with Branches

List Branches

git branch  # Local branches
git branch -r  # Remote branches
git branch -a  # All branches
git branch -v  # Branches with last commit
git ls-remote --heads origin  # More remote details

Create & Switch to a New Branch

git checkout -b feature-woocommerce-optimization

Make changes and commit:

git add .
git commit -m "Optimized WooCommerce checkout speed"

Push branch to remote:

git push origin feature-woocommerce-optimization

Merge into main

git checkout main
git merge feature-woocommerce-optimization

Delete a Branch

git branch -d <branch-name>   # Delete merged branch
git branch -D <branch-name>   # Force delete unmerged branch

Delete a Remote Branch

git push <remote-name> --delete <branch-name>

Clean Up Deleted Remote Branches Locally

git remote prune origin
git fetch --prune  # or git fetch -p

5️⃣ Undoing Mistakes

Undo the Last Commit

git reset --soft HEAD~1  # Keep changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1  # Discard changes

Restore a Specific File

git checkout -- wp-content/themes/mytheme/functions.php

6️⃣ Stashing (Temporary Changes)

Save & Restore Stashed Changes

git stash
git checkout main
git stash pop

7️⃣ Working with Remote Repositories

List Remote Repositories

git remote -v

Add a Remote Repository

git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git

Push & Pull Changes

git push origin main
git pull origin main

Remove or Rename a Remote Repository

git remote remove <name>
git remote rename origin upstream

Fetch Updates from Remote

git remote update
git fetch <remote-name>

Change Remote URL

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/user/new-repo.git

Prune Deleted Remote Branches

git remote prune origin

8️⃣ Git Log

The git log command displays the commit history of the repository.

Useful options:

git log: Shows the basic commit history.
git log --oneline: Displays each commit as a single line, showing the commit hash and message.
git log --graph: Visualizes the commit history in a graphical format.
git log --author="Name": Filters commits by author.
git log --since="date": Shows commits after a specified date.
git log --until="date": Shows commits before a specified date.

Example:

git log --oneline --graph

This will show a concise and graphical view of your commit history.

9️⃣ Git Merge

The git merge command is used to combine changes from different branches.

Typical usage scenarios:

git merge origin/main: Merges changes from the remote main branch into your local branch.
git checkout main followed by git merge feature-branch: Merges a feature branch into the main branch.

Handling merge conflicts:

If there are conflicting changes, Git will mark the conflict. You need to manually resolve it, then:

git add <resolved-files>
git commit

Example:

git checkout main
git merge feature-branch

1️⃣1️⃣ Difference Between git clone, git pull, and git fetch

These three commands are used to interact with remote repositories but serve different purposes:

1️⃣ git clone

Copies an entire remote repository to your local machine.
Downloads all commits, branches, and files.
Used when working with a repository for the first time.

git clone https://github.com/user/repository.git

2️⃣ git pull

Fetches latest changes from the remote repository.
Automatically merges them into your local branch.
Equivalent to running git fetch followed by git merge.

git pull origin main

3️⃣ git fetch

Retrieves changes from the remote but does not merge them.
Updates references to remote branches without modifying working files.
Useful when you want to check for updates before merging.

git fetch origin

🔹 Key Differences

Command	Action	Merges Changes?	When to Use?
`git clone`	Copies entire repo	✅ Yes (initially)	First time downloading a repo
`git pull`	Fetch + merge	✅ Yes	Keeping local branch updated
`git fetch`	Fetches updates only	❌ No	Checking updates before merging