Git Commands Cheatsheet: Setup & Essential Guide
A quick reference Git cheatsheet covering setup, config, branching, staging, and essential commands for developers and sysadmins. Bookmark-worthy.
Git Cheatsheet
Basic Git Commands
Repository Setup
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# Initialize a new repository
git init
# Clone an existing repository
git clone <repository-url>
# Configure user information
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
Staging Changes
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# Add files to staging
git add <file-name>
git add . # Add all changes
# Remove files
git rm <file-name>
git rm --cached <file-name> # Remove from staging only
# Move/rename files
git mv <old-name> <new-name>
Committing Changes
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# Commit staged changes
git commit -m "Commit message"
git commit -am "Commit message" # Add & commit modified files
Checking Status and History
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# View status
git status
# View commit history
git log
git log --oneline # Compact view
git log --graph --oneline # Graph view
Branching and Merging
Branch Management
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# Create new branch
git branch <branch-name>
# Switch branches
git checkout <branch-name>
git switch <branch-name> # New command
# Create and switch
git checkout -b <branch-name>
git switch -c <branch-name>
Merging
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# Merge branch into current branch
git merge <branch-name>
# Rebase current branch
git rebase <branch-name>
# Abort merge/rebase
git merge --abort
git rebase --abort
Remote Operations
Managing Remotes
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# List remotes
git remote -v
# Add remote
git remote add <name> <url>
# Remove remote
git remote remove <name>
Syncing with Remote
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# Fetch updates
git fetch <remote>
# Pull changes
git pull <remote> <branch>
# Push changes
git push <remote> <branch>
git push -u origin main # Set upstream
Advanced Operations
Stashing
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# Stash changes
git stash
git stash save "message"
# List stashes
git stash list
# Apply stash
git stash apply
git stash pop # Apply and remove
Cherry Picking
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# Cherry pick commit
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
Reset and Revert
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# Reset
git reset --soft HEAD~1 # Undo last commit, keep changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1 # Undo last commit, discard changes
# Revert commit
git revert <commit-hash>
Troubleshooting
Debug Commands
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# Find problematic commit
git bisect start
git bisect bad
git bisect good <commit-hash>
# Show file changes
git blame <file-name>
# Show commit details
git show <commit-hash>
Common Recovery Commands
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# Recover deleted branch
git reflog
git checkout -b <branch-name> <hash>
# Restore file version
git checkout <commit-hash> -- <file-path>
# Clean working directory
git clean -n # Dry run
git clean -f # Force clean
Common Error’s and there solution
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#error: RPC failed; curl 92 HTTP/2
git config --global http.version HTTP/1.1
git config --global http.postBuffer 524288000 #Increasing the git buffer size
The commands shown above represent the most commonly used Git operations for version control. This cheatsheet serves as a quick reference guide for both beginners and experienced developers. Remember to always check the Git documentation for more detailed information about specific commands and their options.
Git config
Set vscode as default editor
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git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
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git config --global --edit
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[user]
name = <name>
email = <email>
[core]
editor = code --wait
[help]
autocorrect = prompt
[push]
autoSetupRemote = true
[fetch]
prune = true
[branch]
sort = -committerdate
[diff]
colorMoved = default
colorMovedWS = allow-indentation-change
[alias]
swm = switch master
br = branch
st = status
co = checkout
ci = commit
ciam = commit -a -m
rh = reset HEAD
rhsoft = reset --soft HEAD
rhhard = reset --hard HEAD
amend = commit -a --amend
amendnoedit = commit -a --amend --no-edit
amendwip = commit -a --amend -m "WIP"
amendwipsoft = commit -a --amend -m "WIP"
amendwipsofta = commit -a --amend -m "WIP"
aa = add --all
cdf = clean -df
pr = pull --rebase
pra = pull --rebase --autostash
[http]
version = HTTP/1.1
postBuffer = 1048576000
[https]
postBuffer = 1048576000
How to Clone Larger Repositories (3GB+) from GitHub
Cloning large repositories from GitHub can be challenging due to the 2GB push limit. Here are several approaches to successfully work with repositories larger than 3GB:
Method 1: Use Git LFS (Git Large File Storage)
Git LFS is designed specifically for handling large files in Git repositories:
Install Git LFS on your system if you haven’t already:
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git lfs installClone the repository normally:
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git clone <https://github.com/username/large-repository.git>
Git LFS will automatically handle the large files during the clone process.
Method 2: Mirror Clone for Large Repositories
For repositories with Git LFS objects:
Create a bare clone of the repository:
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git clone --bare <https://github.com/username/large-repository.git>Navigate to the cloned repository:
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cd large-repository.gitPull in the repository’s Git LFS objects:
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git lfs fetch --allNow you can work with the repository locally.
Method 3: Clone in Smaller Chunks
If you’re facing issues with the initial clone:
Clone the repository with a limited depth to get only the most recent commits:
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git clone --depth=1 <https://github.com/username/large-repository.git>
After the shallow clone completes, you can gradually fetch more history:
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cd large-repository git fetch --unshallow
Method 4: Use GitHub CLI
GitHub CLI can handle large clones more efficiently:
- Install GitHub CLI (if not already installed)
Clone using GitHub CLI:
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gh repo clone username/large-repository
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If you encounter errors like fatal: the remote end hung up unexpectedly or remote: fatal: pack exceeds maximum allowed size, try these solutions:
- Ensure you have a stable internet connection
- Try cloning with the
-depthparameter to limit history - Use Git LFS for repositories containing large files
- Consider using a tool like GitHub Desktop which handles large repositories well
Remember that cloning a 3GB+ repository will require sufficient disk space and may take some time depending on your internet connection speed.
Sources: