Ben Warai Otoko

Git Cheatsheet (Quick Reference)

5 min read

Git Cheatsheet

Quick command reference. For detailed explanations, see Git-GitHub.

Getting Started

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
 
# Initialize new repo
git init
 
# Check status
git status
 
# See changes
git diff

Committing

# Stage changes
git add file.py              # Specific file
git add .                    # All changes
git add -p                   # Interactive staging
 
# Commit
git commit -m "Your message"
git commit --amend           # Edit last commit
 
# View history
git log
git log --oneline
git log --oneline -n 10      # Last 10 commits
git log --graph --all        # Visual tree

Branching

# Create & switch
git checkout -b feature/my-feature
git switch -c feature/my-feature     # Newer syntax
 
# List branches
git branch
git branch -a                        # Include remote
 
# Switch
git checkout main
git switch main                      # Newer syntax
 
# Delete
git branch -d feature/my-feature
git branch -D feature/my-feature     # Force delete
 
# Rename
git branch -m old-name new-name

Pushing & Pulling

# Push to remote
git push origin main
git push origin feature/my-feature
git push -u origin feature/my-feature  # Set upstream
 
# Pull latest
git pull origin main
git pull                     # Pull current branch
 
# Fetch without merging
git fetch origin
git fetch --all              # All remotes
 
# Rebase (cleaner history)
git rebase origin/main
git rebase -i HEAD~3         # Interactive rebase last 3 commits

Merging

# Merge branch into current
git merge feature/my-feature
 
# Abort merge
git merge --abort
 
# Merge only specific commits
git cherry-pick abc123
git cherry-pick abc123 def456  # Multiple commits

Resolving Conflicts

# Check status during conflict
git status
 
# Edit files, then:
git add .
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict"
 
# Or abort
git merge --abort
git rebase --abort

Undoing Changes

# Unstage file
git reset HEAD file.py
git restore --staged file.py       # Newer syntax
 
# Discard changes
git checkout -- file.py
git restore file.py                # Newer syntax
 
# Undo last commit (keep changes)
git reset HEAD~1
 
# Undo last commit (discard changes)
git reset --hard HEAD~1
 
# Revert commit (creates new commit)
git revert abc123
 
# Find lost commits
git reflog
git reset --hard abc123            # Recover

Stashing

# Save changes temporarily
git stash
 
# List stashes
git stash list
 
# Apply stash
git stash apply stash@{0}
git stash pop stash@{0}            # Apply & remove
 
# Delete stash
git stash drop stash@{0}
git stash clear                    # Delete all

Remote Management

# View remotes
git remote
git remote -v                      # Verbose
 
# Add remote
git remote add origin https://...
 
# Remove remote
git remote remove origin
 
# Update remote URL
git remote set-url origin https://new-url

Tags (Releases)

# Create tag
git tag v1.0.0
git tag v1.0.0 abc123              # Tag specific commit
 
# Push tags
git push origin v1.0.0
git push origin --tags             # All tags
 
# Delete tag
git tag -d v1.0.0
git push origin -d v1.0.0          # Delete remote
 
# List tags
git tag
git tag -l "v1.*"                  # Pattern

Configuration

# Set name & email
git config --global user.name "Benjamin"
git config --global user.email "benjamin@example.com"
 
# View config
git config --list
git config user.name
 
# Set default editor
git config --global core.editor "vim"
 
# Setup SSH key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "benjamin@example.com"
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub         # Copy to GitHub

Helpful Aliases

# Add aliases
git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.ci commit
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.unstage 'reset HEAD --'
git config --global alias.last 'log -1 HEAD'
git config --global alias.visual 'log --graph --oneline --all'
 
# Use
git co main
git st
git last

Workflow Examples

Feature Branch Workflow

# 1. Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/add-logging
 
# 2. Make changes & commit
vim app.py
git add app.py
git commit -m "Add logging module"
 
# 3. Push to GitHub
git push -u origin feature/add-logging
 
# 4. Create PR on GitHub
 
# 5. After approval, merge on GitHub
 
# 6. Pull & clean up locally
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git branch -d feature/add-logging

Daily Workflow

# Morning: sync main
git checkout main
git pull origin main
 
# Work on feature
git checkout -b feature/my-task
# ... make changes ...
git add .
git commit -m "Implement my feature"
 
# Before pushing, sync with main
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main
 
# Push & create PR
git push origin feature/my-task

Emergency Commands

# "I committed to wrong branch"
git reset HEAD~1                   # Undo commit
git checkout -b correct-branch     # Create correct branch
git commit -m "..."                # Recommit
 
# "I need the old version"
git log --all --oneline | grep "message"
git checkout abc123 -- file.py     # Get specific version
 
# "I lost my branch"
git reflog                         # Find the ref
git checkout -b recovered-branch abc123
 
# "Merge went wrong"
git merge --abort
git reset --hard HEAD~1            # Undo merge

Common Mistakes & Fixes

MistakeFix
Committed to main instead of feature branchgit reset HEAD~1, git checkout -b feature-branch, git commit -m "..."
Pushed secret credentialsRemove from history with git filter-branch or github.com/GitGuardian
Large file committedgit rm --cached file.bin, add to .gitignore, git commit --amend
Merge conflict frustrationRead conflict markers carefully, edit, git add ., git commit
Wrong branch for PRChange PR target on GitHub or create new PR from correct branch

Data Engineering Best Practices

# .gitignore for data projects
*.csv
*.parquet
*.xlsx
data/
logs/
.env
credentials.json
__pycache__/
.venv/
dbt_packages/
target/
 
# Good commit messages
git commit -m "feat: add incremental dbt model for transactions"
git commit -m "fix: exclude deleted records from staging"
git commit -m "test: add data quality checks to orders model"
git commit -m "docs: update README with Airflow setup"

Quick Tips

  • Before pushing: git pull origin main → avoid conflicts
  • Before merging: Push to feature branch → create PR → let team review
  • Commit often: Easier to revert small changes
  • Use branches: Never work directly on main
  • Clear messages: Use imperative: “Add feature” not “Added feature”

Last updated: Jan 22, 2026

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