Git Basic Commands Every Developer Should Know

Version control is an essential part of modern software development, and Git is the most widely used version control system. Here’s a list of basic Git commands that every developer should know when starting with Git.

1. Git Configuration

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

2. Initialize a Repository

git init

3. Clone a Repository

git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git

4. Check Status

git status

5. Stage Changes

      
        git add filename  # Stage a specific file
        git add .      # Stage all changes in the current directory
        git add -A     # Stage all changes (including deletions)
        git add --all  # Stage all changes in the repository
        git add *      # Stage all files in the current directory (excluding deleted files)
      
    

6. Commit Changes

git commit -m "Your commit message"

7.Recover erased data of a file or Recover deleted file

          git checkout filename  # Discard changes in a file
          git checkout -f  # Restore deleted files after commit
        

8. View Commit History

        git log  # Shows the full commit history of the current branch.
        git log -p  # Show changes in each commit. Shows the diffs introduced by each commit.
        git log --oneline  # Show a simplified commit history with one line per commit.
        git show 9a0f1fc # Show details of a specific commit.
      

9. View Differences

        git diff  # Show unstaged changes in the working directory.
        git diff --staged  # Show staged changes that are ready to be committed.
        git diff HEAD  # Show all changes since the last commit.
        git diff branch1..branch2  # Show differences between two branches.
        git diff commit1..commit2  # Show differences between two commits.
      

10. .gitignore

        A .gitignore file tells Git which files or folders to ignore so they don’t get tracked, committed, or pushed to a repository.
        Syntax & Examples:
        Place a .gitignore file in your project root. Example:
        # Ignore compiled files
        *.class

        # Ignore log files
        *.log

        # Ignore system files
        .DS_Store
        Thumbs.db

        # Ignore specific folders
        node_modules/
        target/
        build/
       

11. Create and Switch Branch

git checkout -b new-branch

12. Merge Branch

git checkout main
git merge new-branch

13. Push to Remote

git push origin main

14. Pull from Remote

git pull origin main

15. Discard Changes

git checkout -- filename

16. Unstage a File

git reset filename

17. Delete a Branch

git branch -d branch-name

Conclusion: These commands cover the most essential Git operations you'll use frequently. Master these first, then move on to advanced topics like rebase, stash, and cherry-pick.

✅ Stay consistent with commits and always write meaningful messages!