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Git

2 mins

Overview #

This note serves as a practical reference for commonly used Git commands and core Git concepts. Each section includes short explanations intended to clarify when and why a command or concept is used.

Common Git Commands #

Create and switch to a new branch #

Creates a new branch and immediately switches to it.

git checkout -b <branch-name>

Tip: In newer Git versions, you can also use:

git switch -c <branch-name>

Return to your latest branch #

Switches to the latest branch

git checkout -

Discard all tracked local changes #

Reverts all tracked files to their last committed state.

git checkout .

⚠️ This permanently discards uncommitted changes in tracked files.

Check if a commit exists in a branch #

Displays branches that contain a specific commit.

git branch --contains <commit-hash>

Useful when:

  • Investigating where a fix was merged
  • Verifying if a commit is part of a release branch

View a compact, visual commit history #

Displays a clean, graphical representation of the commit tree.

git log --all --decorate --oneline --graph

This is helpful for:

  • Understanding branch relationships
  • Reviewing merges and commit flow

Merge while preferring incoming changes during conflicts #

Performs a merge and automatically prefers changes from the incoming branch when conflicts occur.

git merge --strategy-option theirs master

⚠️ Use with caution, as this can overwrite local changes during conflicts.

Bare Repository #

A bare Git repository contains only Git data (commits, branches, tags, configuration) and no working directory.

Key characteristics:

  • No checked-out files
  • Cannot directly edit or commit files
  • Designed for sharing and collaboration

Typical use cases:

  • Central or remote repositories
  • Team collaboration servers
  • Deployment pipelines

📖 Documentation: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone#Documentation/git-clone.txt—bare

Git Worktree #

A Git worktree allows multiple working directories to be attached to the same repository, enabling simultaneous work on different branches.

Benefits:

  • Work on multiple branches at once
  • Avoid frequent branch switching
  • Share Git history without creating multiple clones

Works especially well with:

  • Bare repositories
  • Long-running feature or release branches

📖 Documentation: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-worktree

GUI Tools #

The following GUI tools can simplify Git workflows and visualization: