Git Commands: You'll Wish You Knew Earlier
Essential Git Commands That Will Save You Time and Effort
1. git log --oneline --graph - A Clearer History View
As your project grows, keeping track of commits across multiple branches can get messy. This command provides a structured and easy-to-read commit history.
What it does: Displays commits in a condensed format with a visual representation of branch merges.
When to use: Anytime you need to quickly understand your project’s commit history.
2. git diff --staged - Review Staged Changes
Before committing your code, it’s always a good practice to review exactly what will be included in the next commit.
What it does: Shows the difference between the staged changes and the last commit.
When to use: Before making a commit to ensure you’re only committing the intended changes.
3. git stash pop - Switch Tasks Without Losing Work
Sometimes you’re in the middle of writing code, and an urgent task requires switching branches. Instead of creating a messy commit, stash your work and apply it later.
What it does: Temporarily saves your uncommitted changes and re-applies them when needed.
Why use git stash pop instead of git stash apply? It restores your changes and removes them from the stash list automatically, whereas git stash apply keeps them in the stash.
When to use: When switching branches but wanting to keep your current progress without committing incomplete work.
4. git reset --soft - Undo a Commit Without Losing Changes
Accidentally committed too soon? No problem. This command lets you move the latest commit back to the staging area without losing your changes.
What it does: Uncommits changes but keeps them staged for modification.
When to use: If you need to tweak a commit before pushing it.
5. git cherry-pick - Apply Specific Commits
Need a commit from another branch but don’t want to merge everything? This command lets you extract and apply only the commits you need.
What it does: Applies a specific commit from one branch to another.
When to use: When you need only certain changes from a different branch.
6. git blame - Track Changes to a File
Trying to figure out who changed a specific line of code? git blame tells you the last modification for each line in a file.
What it does: Displays the commit history for each line of a file.
When to use: When debugging or understanding why a change was made.
7. git reflog - Recover Lost Commits
Accidentally deleted a branch or reset to the wrong commit? git reflog allows you to recover lost work.
What it does: Tracks every change made in your repository, even ones that seem lost.
When to use: When you need to recover a commit after a bad reset or branch deletion.
8. git clean -f - Remove Untracked Files
If your working directory is cluttered with untracked files, this command helps clean it up.
What it does: Deletes untracked files from your working directory.
When to use: When your project directory is full of unnecessary files.
9. git bisect - Find the Problematic Commit
When a bug appears, but you’re unsure which commit introduced it, git bisect helps you track it down efficiently.
What it does: Uses binary search to identify the commit that caused an issue.
How to use:
git bisect start
git bisect bad # Mark the current commit as bad
git bisect good <commit-hash> # Mark a known good commitGit will then guide you through commits until the problem is found.
When to use: When troubleshooting regressions.
10. git rebase -i - Edit Your Commit History
Want to clean up your commit history before merging? git rebase -i allows you to squash, edit, or delete commits interactively.
What it does: Lets you modify commit history before merging.
When to use: When cleaning up commits before merging to a main branch.
⚠️ Note: Avoid using this on public branches — it rewrites history and can cause conflicts.
