A Complete Reference for Beginners, Developers & DevOps Engineers
Introduction: Why Git Commands Matter in 2025
Git has become the backbone of modern software development, DevOps, cloud engineering, and open-source collaboration. Whether you are building enterprise applications, managing CI/CD pipelines, or contributing to GitHub projects, mastering Git commands is essential for productivity and version control accuracy.
In 2025, with the rise of cloud-native apps, microservices, GitOps, AI-powered coding assistants, and automated pipelines, understanding core and advanced Git commands makes you stand out in the tech industry.
This definitive guide covers:
- Top 100 Git commands
- Detailed usage explanations
- Syntax + practical examples
- Developer workflows
- Git best practices for 2025
- Troubleshooting common Git errors
This is the most complete Git command guide, crafted to help you rank #1 on Google.
Chapter 1: Git Basics & Setup Commands
1. git init — Initialize a Repository
Creates a new Git repository in your project.
Syntax:
git init
Use Case: Start version control for a new project.
2. git clone — Copy a Repository
Downloads a remote repository to your local machine.
Syntax:
git clone <repository-url>
3. git config — Configure Username & Email
Set Git author information.
Syntax:
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
View config:
git config --list
4. git help — Show Documentation
Provides detailed help for any Git command.
Syntax:
git help <command>
Chapter 2: Git File Management Commands
5. git add — Stage Files for Commit
Adds changes to the staging area.
Syntax:
git add <file>
git add .
6. git rm — Remove Files
Delete tracked files.
Syntax:
git rm <file>
7. git mv — Move or Rename Files
Rename files while keeping Git history intact.
Syntax:
git mv oldname newname
Chapter 3: Git Commit Commands
8. git commit — Save Changes
Records staged changes.
Syntax:
git commit -m "message"
9. git commit --amend — Modify Last Commit
Fix commit message or add forgotten changes.
git commit --amend
Chapter 4: Git Branching Commands
10. git branch — Manage Branches
View or create branches.
Syntax:
git branch
git branch <name>
git branch -d <name>
11. git checkout — Switch Branch
git checkout <branch>
12. git switch (Newer Alternative)
Used to switch branches safely.
git switch <branch>
13. git checkout -b — Create + Switch
git checkout -b feature/login
Chapter 5: Git Merge & Rebase Commands
14. git merge — Combine Branches
git merge <branch>
15. git rebase — Reapply Commits
git rebase <branch>
16. git rebase -i — Interactive Rebase
Reorder, squash, edit commits.
git rebase -i HEAD~5
Chapter 6: Git Remote Commands
17. git remote — Manage Remotes
git remote -v
git remote add origin <url>
18. git fetch — Download Changes
git fetch origin
19. git pull — Fetch + Merge
git pull
git pull origin main
20. git push — Upload Changes
git push origin main
Chapter 7: Git Stash Commands
21. git stash — Save Temporary Changes
git stash
22. git stash list — View Stashes
git stash list
23. git stash apply — Restore Stash
git stash apply
Chapter 8: Git Status, Diff & Log Commands
24. git status — View File Changes
git status
25. git diff — Compare Changes
git diff
26. git log — View Commit History
git log
git log --oneline
Chapter 9: Top 100 Git Commands (Full Master List)
Below is the complete list, each described for SEO + clarity + ranking strength.
Top 100 Git Commands (Complete with Description)
A. General Git Commands
git initgit clonegit configgit helpgit --versiongit statusgit addgit add .git add -Agit rm
B. Commit & History Commands
git commitgit commit -m "message"git commit --amendgit loggit log --onelinegit showgit blamegit revertgit resetgit reset --hard
C. Branching & Switching Commands
git branchgit branch -agit branch -d <name>git checkout <branch>git checkout -b <branch>git switch <branch>git switch -c <branch>git merge <branch>git rebase <branch>git rebase -i
D. Remote Commands
git remote -vgit remote add origin <url>git remote remove origingit fetchgit fetch --allgit pullgit pull origin maingit pushgit push origin maingit push -u origin <branch>
E. Stash Commands
git stashgit stash savegit stash listgit stash popgit stash applygit stash cleargit stash dropgit stash branch <name>git stash showgit stash show -p
F. Tag Commands
git taggit tag -a v1.0 -m "Release"git push origin --tagsgit tag -d <tag>git show <tag>
G. Comparing & Inspecting Commands
git diffgit diff --stagedgit diff branch1..branch2git log --statgit show HEAD
H. Cleaning & Maintenance Commands
git prunegit gcgit clean -ngit clean -fgit fsck
I. Advanced Commands
git bisectgit bisect startgit bisect goodgit bisect badgit cherry-pickgit archivegit shortloggit describegit refloggit filter-branch(Legacy)git worktreegit submodulegit submodule addgit submodule initgit submodule update
J. Collaboration Commands
git pull --rebasegit push --forcegit push --force-with-leasegit merge --abortgit rebase --abortgit checkout -- <file>git restoregit restore --stagedgit applygit cherry-pick --abort
K. GitHub-Specific Commands
gh auth login(GitHub CLI)gh repo clonegh issue listgh pr creategh pr mergegh workflow run
L. Additional Useful Commands
git whatchangedgit rm --cached <file>git merge --squashgit reset --soft
Chapter 10: Git Best Practices for Developers in 2025
✔ Use Meaningful Commit Messages
✔ Always Pull Before Push
✔ Avoid Force Push on Shared Branches
✔ Use Feature Branches for Every Task
✔ Use Rebase for Clean Commit History
✔ Use Tags for Versioning
✔ Use .gitignore Properly
Chapter 11: Common Git Errors & Fixes
1. Merge Conflicts
Fix:
git merge --abort
2. Detached HEAD
Fix by switching to branch:
git switch main
3. Forgot to Add File
git add <file>
git commit --amend
Conclusion
This Top 100 Git Commands Guide is designed to be the most comprehensive, SEO-optimized, and developer-focused article on the internet. It includes every essential command needed by:
- Developers
- DevOps engineers
- Cloud architects
- Students
- Open-source contributors