Git Basics: Essential Commands Every Developer Should Know

Git is the backbone of modern software development. Whether you're working solo or with a team, mastering these fundamental Git commands will streamline your workflow and make version control second nature.

Version control is essential for tracking changes, collaborating with others, and maintaining a clean project history. Let's dive into the core Git commands that every developer should have in their toolkit.

# Initialize a new Git repository
git init

# Clone an existing repository
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git

# Check the status of your working directory
git status

These commands form the foundation of Git usage. git init creates a new repository, git clone copies an existing one, and git status shows you what's happening in your current working directory.

Working with Changes

The most common Git workflow involves adding, committing, and pushing changes. Here's how to handle your day-to-day operations:

# Add files to staging area
git add filename.txt
git add .  # Add all files

# Commit your changes
git commit -m "Add new feature"

# Push changes to remote repository
git push origin main

Understanding the staging area is crucial. Files go through three stages: working directory, staging area, and committed. The git add command moves files to staging, git commit saves them to your local repository, and git push uploads them to the remote repository.

Branching and Merging

Branches allow you to work on different features simultaneously without affecting the main codebase. This is where Git truly shines:

  1. Create and switch branches
  2. Merge completed features
  3. Delete unnecessary branches
  4. Handle merge conflicts
  5. Keep your branch history clean
# Create a new branch
git branch feature-branch

# Switch to the branch
git checkout feature-branch

# Create and switch in one command
git checkout -b new-feature

# Merge branch back to main
git checkout main
git merge feature-branch

Branching strategies like Git Flow or GitHub Flow help teams coordinate their work. The key is to keep branches focused on single features or bug fixes.

Essential Status and History Commands

Knowing what's happening in your repository is crucial for effective Git usage:

# View commit history
git log --oneline

# See differences in files
git diff

# Show specific commit details
git show commit-hash

# View remote repositories
git remote -v

These commands help you understand your project's history and current state. The git log command is particularly powerful with various formatting options to display commit history exactly how you need it.

Git mastery comes with practice, but these fundamental commands will handle 90% of your version control needs. Start with these basics, and gradually explore more advanced features like rebasing, stashing, and advanced merging strategies.