Common Git commands

Learn more about the most commonly used Git commands.

`git add`

Use git add to files to the staging area.

git add <file_path>

You can recursively stage changes from the current working directory with git add ., or stage all changes in the Git repository with git add --all.

For more information, see Add files to your branch.

`git blame`

Use git blame to report which users changed which parts of a file.

git blame <file_name>

You can use git blame -L <line_start>, <line_end> to check a specific range of lines.

For more information, see Git file blame.

Example

To check which user most recently modified line five of example.txt:

$ git blame -L 5, 5 example.txt
123abc (Zhang Wei 2021-07-04 12:23:04 +0000 5)

`git bisect`

Use git bisectto use binary search to find the commit that introduced a bug.

Start by identifying a commit that is "bad" (contains the bug) and a commit that is "good" (doesn't contain the bug).

git bisect start
git bisect bad                 # Current version is bad
git bisect good v2.6.13-rc2    # v2.6.13-rc2 is known to be good

git bisect then picks a commit in between the two points and asks you identify if the commit is "good" or "bad" with git bisect goodor git bisect bad. Repeat the process until the commit is found.

`git checkout`

Use git checkout to switch to a specific branch.

git checkout <branch_name>

To create a new branch and switch to it, use git checkout -b <branch_name>.

For more information, see Create a Git branch for your changes.

`git clone`

Use git clone to copy an existing Git repository.

git clone <repository>

For more information, see Clone a Git repository to your local computer.

`git commit`

Use git commit to commits staged changes to the repository.

git commit -m "<commit_message>"

If the commit message contains a blank line, the first line becomes the commit subject while the remainder becomes the commit body. Use the subject to briefly summarize a change, and the commit body to provide additional details.

For more information, see Stage, commit, and push changes.

`git commit --amend`

Use git commit --amend to modify the most recent commit.

git commit --amend

`git diff`

Use git diff to view the differences between your local unstaged changes and the latest version that you cloned or pulled.

git diff

You can display the difference (or diff) between your local changes and the most recent version of a branch. View a diff to understand your local changes before you commit them to the branch.

To compare your changes against a specific branch, run:

git diff <branch>

In the output:

Lines with additions begin with a plus (+) and are displayed in green.
Lines with removals or changes begin with a minus (-) and are displayed in red.

`git init`

Use git init to initialize a directory so Git tracks it as a repository.

git blame <file_name>
```0

A `.git` file with configuration and log files is added to the directory. You shouldn't edit the `.git` file directly.

The default branch is set to `main`. You can change the name of the default branch with `git branch -m <branch_name>`,
or initialize with `git init -b <branch_name>`.

## `git pull`

Use `git pull` to get all the changes made by users after the last time you cloned or pulled the project.

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```1

## `git push`

Use `git push` to update remote refs.

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```2

For more information, see [Stage, commit, and push changes](commit.md).

## `git reflog`

Use `git reflog` to display a list of changes to the Git reference logs.

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```3

By default, `git reflog` shows a list of changes to `HEAD`.

For more information, see [Undo changes](undo.md).

## `git remote add`

Use `git remote add` to tell Git which remote repository in GitLab is linked to a local directory.

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```4

When you clone a repository, by default the source repository is associated with the remote name `origin`.

For more information on configuring additional remotes, see [Forks](../../user/project/repository/forking_workflow.md).

## `git log`

Use `git log` to display a list of commits in chronological order.

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```5

## `git show`

Use `git show` to show information about an object in Git.

### Example

To see what commit `HEAD` points to:

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```6

## `git merge`

Use `git merge` to combine the changes from one branch with another.

For more information on an alternative to `git merge`, see [Rebase to address merge conflicts](git_rebase.md).

### Example

To apply the changes in `feature_branch` to the `target_branch`:

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```7

## `git rebase`

Use `git rebase` to rewrite the commit history of a branch.

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```8

You can use `git rebase` to [resolve merge conflicts](git_rebase.md).

In most cases, you want to rebase against the default branch.

## `git reset`

Use `git reset` to undo a commit and rewind the commit history and continue on from an earlier commit.

```shell
git blame <file_name>
```9

For more information, see [Undo changes](undo.md).

## `git status`

Use `git status` to show the status of the working directory and staged files.

```shell
$ git blame -L 5, 5 example.txt
123abc (Zhang Wei 2021-07-04 12:23:04 +0000 5)
```0

When you add, change, or delete files, Git can show you the changes.