Git Basics Everyone Should Know

Understanding Basic Commands

Git Configuration

Before diving into commands, set up your identity:

1git config --global user.name "Your Name"
2git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Essential Commands Explained

Repository Initialization

1git init

This creates a .git directory that stores all the version control information. After initialization, Git starts tracking all files in the directory.

Staging Changes

1git add filename.txt        # Stage specific file
2git add .                   # Stage all changes
3git add *.js               # Stage all JavaScript files
4git add src/               # Stage entire directory

The staging area (or index) is like a preparation zone where you organize changes before committing.

Checking Status

1git status
2git status -s              # Short format status

Status flags:

M: Modified
A: Added
D: Deleted
??: Untracked
R: Renamed

Committing Changes

1git commit -m "Add login feature"
2git commit -am "Update styles"  # Automatically stage tracked files and commit

Viewing History

1git log
2git log --oneline          # Compact view
3git log --graph            # Visual representation
4git log --author="name"    # Filter by author
5git log -p                 # Show patches

Advanced Branching Strategies

GitFlow Model

A robust branching strategy following Vincent Driessen's model:

Main Branches
- main: Production code only
- develop: Integration branch
Supporting Branches
- Feature branches: feature/user-authentication
- Release branches: release/1.0.0
- Hotfix branches: hotfix/login-bug

Branch Management Commands

1# Create and switch to new branch
2git checkout -b feature/new-feature
3
4# List branches
5git branch                  # Local branches
6git branch -r              # Remote branches
7git branch -a              # All branches
8
9# Delete branch
10git branch -d branch-name  # Safe delete
11git branch -D branch-name  # Force delete
12
13# Rename branch
14git branch -m old-name new-name

Merging Strategies

Fast-forward Merge

1git merge feature-branch

No-fast-forward Merge

1git merge --no-ff feature-branch

Squash Merge

1git merge --squash feature-branch

Comprehensive Commit Message Guidelines

Structure

<type>(<scope>): <subject>

<body>

<footer>

Types

feat: New feature
fix: Bug fix
docs: Documentation
style: Formatting
refactor: Code restructuring
test: Adding tests
chore: Maintenance

Example

feat(auth): implement OAuth2 authentication

- Add OAuth2 client configuration
- Implement token refresh mechanism
- Add user session management

Closes #123

Best Practices

Separate subject from body with blank line
Limit subject line to 50 characters
Capitalize the subject line
Don't end subject line with period
Use imperative mood in subject line
Wrap body at 72 characters
Use body to explain what and why vs. how

Working with Remotes in Detail

Remote Management

1# Add remote
2git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git
3
4# View remotes
5git remote -v
6
7# Change remote URL
8git remote set-url origin new-url
9
10# Remove remote
11git remote remove origin

Push Operations

1# Push to remote
2git push origin branch-name
3
4# Push all branches
5git push --all origin
6
7# Force push (use carefully!)
8git push -f origin branch-name
9
10# Set upstream branch
11git push -u origin feature-branch

Pull Operations

1# Fetch remote changes
2git fetch origin
3
4# Fetch and merge
5git pull origin main
6
7# Pull with rebase
8git pull --rebase origin main

Advanced Git Operations

Stashing

1# Basic stash
2git stash
3
4# Stash with message
5git stash save "WIP: implementing login"
6
7# List stashes
8git stash list
9
10# Apply stash
11git stash apply stash@{0}
12
13# Pop stash
14git stash pop
15
16# Drop stash
17git stash drop stash@{0}

Recovery and Undo

1# Discard changes in working directory
2git checkout -- filename
3
4# Undo last commit (keep changes)
5git reset HEAD~1
6
7# Revert commit
8git revert commit-hash
9
10# Amend last commit
11git commit --amend

.gitignore Patterns

# Ignore specific file
secret.key

# Ignore directory
node_modules/

# Ignore by pattern
*.log
**/temp

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Merge Conflicts

1# Abort merge
2git merge --abort
3
4# After resolving conflicts
5git add .
6git commit

Detached HEAD State

1git checkout main
2git checkout -b new-branch   # If you need to save changes

Large File Issues

1# Clean repository
2git gc
3git prune
4
5# Remove file from history
6git filter-branch --force --index-filter \
7  'git rm --cached --ignore-unmatch PATH-TO-FILE' \
8  --prune-empty --tag-name-filter cat -- --all