Git Command Reference:
1. Cloning a Repository
● Purpose: To create a local copy of a remote repository (e.g., from GitHub).
● Command:
git clone <repository_url>
● Example:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repo.git
2. Navigating to Your Repository
● Purpose: To change the current directory in your terminal to your Git repository's
folder.
● Command:
cd <directory_path>
● Example:
cd Desktop/my-project
3. Checking the Repository Status
● Purpose: To display the state of your working directory and staging area. It shows
modified files, staged files, and untracked files.
● Command:
git status
● Example Output:
On branch main
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.
Changes not staged for commit:
(use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
(use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
modified: TimurDesign/agent.sv
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")
4. Staging Changes
● Purpose: To add changes to the staging area (index), preparing them for the next
commit.
● Command:
○ Stage a specific file:
git add <filename>
○ Stage all changed files:
git add .
● Examples:
git add TimurDesign/agent.sv
git add README.md
git add .
5. Committing Changes
● Purpose: To create a snapshot of the staged changes in the local repository's
history.
● Command:
git commit -m "Commit message describing the changes"
● Example:
git commit -m "Added new feature to agent.sv"
git commit -m "Fixed bug in user authentication"
6. Pushing Changes
● Purpose: To upload local commits to the remote repository (e.g., GitHub).
● Command:
git push <remote_name> <branch_name>
● Example:
git push origin main
7. Viewing Commit History
● Purpose: To display the history of commits in the repository.
● Command:
git log
● Examples:
○ Basic log:
git log
○ One-line log with graph and decorations:
git log --oneline --graph --decorate
○ Show patch for each commit
git log -p
8. Understanding Branches
● Purpose: To create parallel versions of your project for feature development, bug
fixes, and experimentation.
● Analogy: Think of branches as separate timelines or "universes" of your project.
● Main Branch: The primary branch (usually main), representing the stable version
of your code.
● Feature Branch: A branch created to develop a specific feature.
● Bug Fix Branch: A branch created to fix a bug.
● Command to create a branch:
git branch <new_branch_name>
● Command to switch to a branch:
bash git checkout <branch_name>
● Example:
git branch feature-x
git checkout feature-x
9. Viewing Staging Area
● Command:
bash git status
● The "Changes to be committed:" section of the output shows you the files that
are currently in the staging area.
Important Concepts
● Working Directory: The directory on your computer where your project files are
located.
● Staging Area (Index): A temporary area where you prepare changes for a
commit.
● Local Repository: The Git repository on your computer.
● Remote Repository: The Git repository hosted on a server (e.g., GitHub).
● Commit: A snapshot of your changes at a specific point in time.
● Branch: A separate line of development. The main branch is typically called main.
Workflow Summary
1. Clone: git clone (if starting with an existing repository)
2. Navigate: cd (to your repository)
3. Make Changes: Edit files in your working directory.
4. Check Status: git status (to see changes)
5. Stage Changes: git add (to prepare changes)
6. Commit Changes: git commit (to save a snapshot)
7. Push Changes: git push (to share with remote)
8. Check History: git log (to see commit history)
