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Git Basics

Git Command Cheat Sheet

For the big picture, pair these commands with the GitHub Basics infographic. The infographic shows where each command fits in the safe collaboration loop.

Where am I?

Section titled “Where am I?”
Terminal window
git status

Shows changed files, staged files, branch name, and whether there is anything to commit.

Download a repository

Section titled “Download a repository”
Terminal window
git clone https://github.com/organization/repository-name.git

Copies a GitHub repository to your computer.

See the GitHub connection

Section titled “See the GitHub connection”
Terminal window
git remote -v

Shows the remote repository URL.

Bring down the latest work

Section titled “Bring down the latest work”
Terminal window
git pull

Gets the latest commits from GitHub.

Create a branch

Section titled “Create a branch”
Terminal window
git checkout -b branch-name

or:

Terminal window
git switch -c branch-name

Creates and switches to a new branch.

Switch branches

Section titled “Switch branches”
Terminal window
git checkout main

or:

Terminal window
git switch main

Switches to another branch.

List branches

Section titled “List branches”
Terminal window
git branch

Shows local branches. The current branch has an asterisk.

Stage a file

Section titled “Stage a file”
Terminal window
git add filename

Prepares a file for the next commit.

Stage all current changes

Section titled “Stage all current changes”
Terminal window
git add .

Prepares all changed files in the current folder and below.

Use carefully. Beginners should often prefer staging specific files.

Commit staged changes

Section titled “Commit staged changes”
Terminal window
git commit -m "short message"

Saves staged changes as a local checkpoint.

Push a branch the first time

Section titled “Push a branch the first time”
Terminal window
git push -u origin branch-name

Sends a new branch to GitHub and connects the local branch to the remote branch.

Push after the first time

Section titled “Push after the first time”
Terminal window
git push

Sends local commits to GitHub.

Important: git push sends commits only. It does not stage files, create commits, or send uncommitted edits.

Check what will be committed

Section titled “Check what will be committed”
Terminal window
git diff --staged

Shows staged line-by-line changes before you commit.

View commit history

Section titled “View commit history”
Terminal window
git log

Shows previous commits.

For a shorter view:

Terminal window
git log --oneline

Beginner safety commands

Section titled “Beginner safety commands”
Terminal window
git status

Run this often.

Terminal window
git diff

Shows unstaged line-by-line changes.

Terminal window
git diff --staged

Shows staged line-by-line changes.

Commands to ask for help before using

Section titled “Commands to ask for help before using”

Beginners should ask for help before using:

Terminal window
git reset --hard
git push --force
git rebase
git clean -fd

These commands can discard work or rewrite history if used incorrectly.