Git is a powerful version control system that every developer should master. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, knowing a few handy Git command-line tricks can save you time and improve your workflow. Here are 20 essential Git tips and tricks to boost your efficiency.

1. Undo the Last Commit (Without Losing Changes)

git reset --soft HEAD~1

If you made a commit but want to undo it while keeping your changes, this command resets the last commit but retains the modified files in your staging area.

This is useful when you realize you need to make more changes before committing.

If you also want to remove the changes from the staging area but keep them in your working directory, use,

git reset HEAD~1

2. Discard Unstaged Changes

git checkout -- <file>

Use this to discard local changes in a file before staging. Be careful, as this cannot be undone! If you want to discard all unstaged changes in your working directory, use,

git reset --hard HEAD

3. Delete a Local Branch

git branch -d branch-name

Removes a local branch safely if it’s already merged. If it’s not merged and you still want to delete it, use -D

git branch -D branch-name

4. Delete a Remote Branch

git push origin --delete branch-name

Deletes a branch from the remote repository, useful for cleaning up old feature branches. If you mistakenly deleted the branch and want to restore it, you can use

git checkout -b branch-name origin/branch-name

if it still exists remotely.

5. Rename a Local Branch

git branch -m old-name new-name

Useful when you want to rename a branch locally without affecting the remote repository. To update the remote reference after renaming, push the renamed branch and delete the old one,

git push origin -u new-name
git push origin --delete old-name

6. See the Commit History in a Compact Format

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

A clean and structured way to view Git history, showing branches and commits in a visual format. If you want to see a detailed history with diffs, use

git log -p

7. Stash Your Changes Temporarily

git stash

If you need to switch branches but don’t want to commit yet, stash your changes and retrieve them later with

git stash pop

To see all stashed changes

git stash list

8. Find the Author of a Line in a File

git blame file-name

Shows who made changes to each line in a file. Helpful for debugging or reviewing historical changes. If you want to ignore whitespace changes

git blame -w file-name

9. View a File from a Previous Commit

git show commit-hash:path/to/file

Useful for checking an older version of a file without switching branches. If you want to restore the file from an old commit

git checkout commit-hash -- path/to/file

10. Reset a File to the Last Committed Version

git checkout HEAD -- file-name

Restores the file to the last committed state, removing any local changes. If you want to reset all files

git reset --hard HEAD

11. Clone a Specific Branch

git clone -b branch-name --single-branch repository-url

Instead of cloning the entire repository, this fetches only the specified branch, saving time and space. If you want all branches but don’t want to check them out initially:

git clone --mirror repository-url

12. Change the Last Commit Message

git commit --amend -m "New message"

Use this to correct a typo in your last commit message before pushing. Be cautious—if you’ve already pushed, use

git push --force-with-lease

13. See the List of Tracked Files

git ls-files

Displays all files being tracked by Git, which is useful for auditing your repository. To see ignored files

git ls-files --others --ignored --exclude-standard

14. Check the Difference Between Two Branches

git diff branch-1..branch-2

Compares changes between two branches, helping you understand what has been modified. To see only file names that changed

git diff --name-only branch-1..branch-2

15. Add a Remote Repository

git remote add origin repository-url

Links a remote repository to your local project, enabling push and pull operations. To verify remote repositories

git remote -v

16. Remove a Remote Repository

git remote remove origin

Unlinks your repository from a remote source, useful when switching remotes.

17. View the Last Commit Details

git show HEAD

Shows detailed information about the most recent commit, including the changes made. To see only the commit message

git log -1 --pretty=%B

18. Check What’s Staged for Commit

git diff --staged

Displays changes that are staged for commit, helping you review before finalizing a commit.

19. Fetch and Rebase from a Remote Branch

git pull --rebase origin main

Combines fetching and rebasing in one step, keeping your branch up-to-date cleanly. If conflicts arise, resolve them manually and continue with

git rebase --continue

20. View All Git Aliases

git config --global --list | grep alias

If you’ve set up aliases, this command helps you see them all. Aliases can make your Git workflow faster by shortening common commands. For example

git config --global alias.co checkout

allows you to use git co instead of git checkout.

Try these tricks in your daily development to level up your Git skills!

Today, i came across a blog on undo a git pull. In this blog, i have reiterated the blog in other words.

Mistakes happen. You run a git pull and suddenly find your repository in a mess. Maybe conflicts arose, or perhaps the changes merged from the remote branch aren’t what you expected.

Fortunately, Git’s reflog comes to the rescue, allowing you to undo a git pull and restore your repository to its previous state. Here’s how you can do it.

Understanding Reflog

Reflog is a powerful feature in Git that logs every update made to the tips of your branches and references. Even actions like resets or rebases leave traces in the reflog. This makes it an invaluable tool for troubleshooting and recovering from mistakes.

Whenever you perform a git pull, Git updates the branch pointer, and the reflog records this action. By examining the reflog, you can identify the exact state of your branch before the pull and revert to it if needed.

Step By Step Guide to UNDO a git pull

1. Check Your Current State Ensure you’re aware of the current state of your branch. If you have uncommitted changes, stash or commit them to avoid losing any work.

git stash
# or
git add . && git commit -m "Save changes before undoing pull"

2. Inspect the Reflog View the recent history of your branch using the reflog,

git reflog

This command will display a list of recent actions, showing commit hashes and descriptions. For example,

0a1b2c3 (HEAD -> main) HEAD@{0}: pull origin main: Fast-forward
4d5e6f7 HEAD@{1}: commit: Add new feature
8g9h0i1 HEAD@{2}: checkout: moving from feature-branch to main

3. Identify the Pre-Pull Commit Locate the commit hash of your branch’s state before the pull. In the above example, it’s 4d5e6f7, which corresponds to the commit made before the git pull.

4. Reset to the Previous Commit Use the git reset command to move your branch back to its earlier state,

git reset <commit-hash>

By default, it’s mixed so changes wont be removed but will be in staging.

The next time a pull operation goes awry, don’t panic—let the reflog guide you back to safety!