Basic Git Commands
Git provides a variety of commands to manage your version control efficiently. Below are some of the most commonly used Git commands along with their descriptions.
1. Initializing a Repository
To create a new Git repository, navigate to your project directory and run:
git init
2. Cloning a Repository
To create a copy of an existing Git repository on your local machine, use:
git clone <repository-url>
3. Checking Repository Status
To check the status of your working directory, incluuding staged, unstaged, and untracked files, run:
git status
4. Staging Changes
To stage changes for the next commit, use:
git add <file-name>
To stage all changes at once, use:
git add .
5. Commiting Changes
To commit your stages changes with a descriptive message, run:
git commit -m "Your commit message here"
6. Viewing Commit History
To view the commit history of your repository, use:
git log
You can format the output of git log using different tags such as --online for a concise view:
git log --oneline
7. Pushing Changes
To push your local commits to a remote repository, use:
git push origin <branch-name>
8. Pulling Changes
To update your local repository with changes from the remote repository, run:
git pull
9. Creating a New Branch
To create a new branch, use:
git branch <branch-name>
10. Switching Branches
To switch to an existing branch, run:
git checkout <branch-name>
You can also create and switch to a new branch in one command using this:
git checkout -b <branch-name>
11. Merging Branches
To merge changes from one branch into your current branch, use:
git merge <branch-name>
12. Deleting Branches
To delete a local branch that you no longer need, run:
git branch -d <branch-name>
Conclusion
These are some of the basic commands that form the foundation of using Git. Getting comfortable using these commands will help you manage your projects effectively. In the next sections, we will dive into the SFU OS Dev Club specfic Git guidlines as well as more advanced git workflows.