Git Commands: 42 Everyday Commands with Examples

Short answer: The Git commands you use every day are git status, git add, git commit, git diff and git log for local work, git switch and git merge for branches, and git fetch, git pull and git push to share. To undo safely, use git restore for files, git reset only on commits nobody else has, git revert for pushed commits, and git push --force-with-lease instead of --force. The tables give syntax, an example and key options for 42 commands.

Every example below was run in a scratch repository with Git 2.43.0 on 9 October 2026. A local bare repository stood in for the remote URLs, and real hashes replaced placeholders such as a1b2c3d. The current Git release is 2.56; all commands here work on any Git from 2.30 onwards.

Setup and config

Command	What it does	Syntax	Example	Useful options
git config	Read or set settings for the repository, user or system	git config [--global] <key> <value>	git config --global user.name "Ann Admin"	--global, --list --show-origin, --unset
git help	Show the manual for a command or a guide	git help <command>	git help push	-g (guides), git push -h (short usage)
git --version	Print the installed Git version	git --version	git --version	--build-options
git check-ignore	Show which .gitignore rule matches a path	git check-ignore -v <path>	git check-ignore -v logs/app.log	-v, --no-index, --stdin

Worth setting once: git config --global pull.ff only, so git pull never creates surprise merge commits.

Starting a repository

Command	What it does	Syntax	Example	Useful options
git init	Create a new repository	git init [<dir>]	git init -b main app	-b <branch>, --bare (server-side repository)
git clone	Copy a repository with its history	git clone <url> [<dir>]	git clone https://git.example.com/ops/app.git	--depth 1, --branch <name>, --recurse-submodules
git submodule	Embed another repository at a fixed commit	git submodule add <url> <path>	git submodule update --init --recursive	add, update --init, status
git worktree	Check out a second branch in another directory	git worktree add <path> [<branch>]	git worktree add ../app-hotfix -b hotfix	list, remove, prune

Everyday changes

Command	What it does	Syntax	Example	Useful options
git status	Staged, unstaged and untracked files	git status	git status -sb	-s (short), -b (branch), --ignored
git add	Stage changes for the next commit	git add <path>	git add nginx.conf	-p (pick hunks), -A (everything), -u (tracked only)
git commit	Record the staged changes	git commit -m "<message>"	git commit -m "Raise worker_connections to 4096"	-a, --amend, -v
git diff	Show changes not yet committed	git diff [--staged] [<path>]	git diff --staged	--staged, --stat, --word-diff
git rm	Delete a file and stage the deletion	git rm <path>	git rm --cached .env	--cached (stop tracking, keep the file), -r
git mv	Move or rename and stage it	git mv <old> <new>	git mv nginx.conf conf/nginx.conf	-n (dry run), -f
git stash	Shelve uncommitted work	git stash push -m "<message>"	git stash push -m "wip tuning"	list, pop, -u (include untracked)

git rm --cached stops tracking a file such as .env, but the secret stays in earlier commits. If it was pushed, rotate the secret.

Branching and merging

Command	What it does	Syntax	Example	Useful options
git branch	List, create, rename or delete branches	git branch [<name>]	git branch -vv	-d/-D, -m (rename), --merged
git switch	Change to another branch	git switch <branch>	git switch -c feature/login	-c (create), - (previous branch)
git checkout	Older command for branches and files; checking out a tag gives a detached HEAD	git checkout <ref>	git checkout v1.2.0	-b, -- <path>
git merge	Join another branch into the current one	git merge <branch>	git merge --no-ff feature/login	--no-ff, --ff-only, --abort
git rebase	Replay your commits on top of another base	git rebase <base>	git rebase main	-i, --continue/--abort, --onto
git cherry-pick	Copy one commit onto the current branch	git cherry-pick <commit>	git cherry-pick -x a1b2c3d	-x (note the source), -n, --abort
git tag	Name a commit, usually a release	git tag -a <name> -m "<msg>"	git tag -a v1.2.0 -m "Release 1.2.0"	-a, -l "v1.*", -d

Remotes and sharing

Command	What it does	Syntax	Example	Useful options
git remote	Manage remote names and URLs	git remote add <name> <url>	git remote -v	add, set-url, remove
git fetch	Download remote commits without touching your files	git fetch [<remote>]	git fetch --prune origin	--prune, --all, --tags
git pull	Fetch, then integrate into the current branch	git pull [<remote> <branch>]	git pull --ff-only	--ff-only, --rebase
git push	Upload commits and tags	git push <remote> <branch>	git push -u origin main	-u, --tags, --force-with-lease
git ls-remote	List a remote’s branches and tags without cloning	git ls-remote <remote>	git ls-remote --tags origin	--heads, --tags
git archive	Export a tree as a tar or zip, without .git	git archive -o <file> <ref>	git archive --format=tar.gz --prefix=app/ -o ../app-v1.2.0.tar.gz v1.2.0	--format, --prefix, -o
git apply	Apply a patch file to the working tree	git apply <patch>	git apply --check ../fix.patch	--check, --stat, -R (reverse)

Inspecting history

Command	What it does	Syntax	Example	Useful options
git log	Commit history	git log [<range>] [-- <path>]	git log --oneline --graph --decorate -10	-p, --since="2 weeks ago", --follow
git show	One commit with its diff, or a file at a revision	git show <rev>[:<path>]	git show v1.2.0:nginx.conf	--stat, --name-only
git blame	Last commit that changed each line	git blame <file>	git blame -L 10,20 conf/nginx.conf	-L, -w, -C
git shortlog	Commit counts per author	git shortlog -sn <rev>	git shortlog -sne --since="1 month ago" HEAD	-s, -n, -e
git grep	Search tracked files (or any revision)	git grep <pattern> [<rev>]	git grep -n "worker_connections"	-n, -i, -l
git describe	Name a commit relative to the newest tag	git describe [--tags]	git describe --tags --always	--tags, --always, --dirty
git bisect	Binary search for the commit that broke something	git bisect start <bad> <good>	git bisect start HEAD v1.2.0	run <script>, good/bad, reset
git ls-files	List tracked, modified or untracked files	git ls-files	git ls-files --others --exclude-standard	-o, -m, --exclude-standard

Give git shortlog a revision such as HEAD in scripts and cron jobs: without one, and without a terminal, it reads a log from standard input and waits. Add --follow to git log -- <file> to keep the history from before a rename.

Undoing and fixing

Command	What it does	Syntax	Example	Useful options
git restore	Discard file changes or unstage them	git restore [--staged] <path>	git restore --staged conf/nginx.conf	--staged, --source=<rev>, -p
git reset	Move the branch to another commit; optionally unstage or discard	git reset [--soft | --mixed | --hard] <commit>	git reset --soft HEAD~1	--soft, --mixed (default), --hard
git revert	New commit that undoes an earlier one	git revert <commit>	git revert --no-edit HEAD	--no-edit, -n, -m 1 (merge commits)
git clean	Delete untracked files	git clean -n	git clean -nd, then git clean -fd	-n (dry run), -d, -x (ignored files too)
git reflog	Where HEAD has pointed, including after resets	git reflog [<ref>]	git reflog -5	show <branch>, -n

Safe undo: reset vs revert vs restore

Situation	Command	Safe after push?
Throw away edits to one file	git restore conf/nginx.conf	Yes (nothing committed)
Unstage a file, keep the edits	git restore --staged conf/nginx.conf	Yes
Bring back a file from a release	git restore --source=v1.2.0 nginx.conf	Yes
Undo the last commit, keep its changes staged	git reset --soft HEAD~1	No: rewrites history
Fix the last commit’s message or content	git commit --amend	No: rewrites history
Undo a commit that is already pushed	git revert <commit>	Yes: adds a new commit
Recover after reset --hard	git reflog, then git reset --hard HEAD@{1}	Local rescue

reset moves the branch pointer: --soft keeps changes staged, --mixed unstaged, and --hard also deletes uncommitted work, which reflog cannot recover. revert adds an opposite commit, so it is the safe undo on a shared branch. restore works on files, not commits.

When you must overwrite a remote branch after a rebase or amend, use git push --force-with-lease. It refuses if the remote branch has moved since your last fetch. In the test, a teammate’s push made it fail with (stale info), where --force would have deleted their commit. A background git fetch, for example from an IDE, defeats that check; adding --force-if-includes (Git 2.30+) still rejected the push. Then run git pull --rebase and push again.

Git on servers

For server admins: Git works well for versioning /etc and deploying configuration.

Task	Command
Deploy only fast-forward updates	git pull --ff-only (fails instead of merging if someone edited files on the server)
See what a deploy would change	git fetch origin, then git diff HEAD origin/main --stat
Ship a release without .git	git archive --format=tar.gz -o app.tar.gz v1.2.0
Check for local edits before deploying	git status --porcelain (empty output means clean)
Repository owned by another user	git config --global --add safe.directory /srv/app after checking who owns it

Keep secrets in .gitignore (confirm with git check-ignore -v), and never let the web server serve a .git directory: anyone could download the history and any committed secrets.

Official documentation (checked 9 October 2026): Git reference documentation · git-reset · git-restore · git-revert · git-push (--force-with-lease) · Pro Git book

Git Commands at a glance

Related: Git Cheat Sheet: Branches, Undo, Remotes and Deploys · .gitignore Generator · Terminal Shortcuts Cheat Sheet: Bash, Zsh and tmux.

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