Git Cheat Sheet

How to use this Git cheat sheet

The working directory, staging area (index), and repository (commits) are the three trees. Branching creates lightweight pointers; merge combines histories while rebase replays commits for a linear timeline.

Undo safely with restore for working tree, reset for moving HEAD, and revert for public history. Stash shelves WIP; bisect binary-searches regressions; remotes track shared copies on GitHub or GitLab.

Quick Git example

# daily workflow
git status
git add -p                  # stage hunks interactively
git commit -m "feat: add login form"
git pull --rebase origin main
git push origin feature/login

# undo local edits to one file
git restore src/app.js

# undo last commit, keep changes staged
git reset --soft HEAD~1

Daily Commands

Branching & Merging

Undo & Restore

Remotes, Stash & Bisect

Resolve merge conflict markers

<<<<<<< HEAD
const port = 3000;
=======
const port = 8080;
>>>>>>> feature/config
# Edit to final value, remove markers, then:
git add config.js && git commit

Conflict markers show both sides; only the resolved content should remain.

Rebase feature onto latest main

git fetch origin
git switch feature/my-work
git rebase origin/main
# fix conflicts, then:
git add .
git rebase --continue
git push --force-with-lease

Use --force-with-lease instead of --force when updating rebased remote branches.

Inspect who changed a line

git blame -L 40,60 src/utils.js
git log -p -S "functionName" -- src/utils.js

blame shows line history; log -S finds commits that added/removed a string.

Common mistakes

• Running git reset --hard on shared branches instead of git revert.
• Rebasing commits others already pulled, causing duplicate history and conflicts.
• Committing secrets or build artifacts because .gitignore was incomplete.
• Using merge when a fast-forward or squash merge would keep history cleaner.

Key takeaways

• Three trees: working directory, staging area, commits—commands move changes between them.
• Rebase for private feature branches; merge or revert for shared public history.
• Stash and bisect solve interruptions and regression hunts efficiently.
• Always pull --rebase before push to reduce unnecessary merge commits.