Git Command Line Efficiency Guide

Master Git Command Line, Boost Development Efficiency 🚀

Git is an indispensable version control tool in modern software development. This article organizes the most commonly used Git commands, categorized by function, for quick reference and learning.

1. Repository Initialization & Basic Configuration ⚙️

Repository Initialization

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git init	Initialize new Git repository	--bare create bare repository --template=<template_directory> specify template	Starting new project
git clone <url>	Clone remote repository	-b <branch> specify branch --depth 1 shallow clone --recursive recursively clone submodules	Getting existing project

Configuration Management

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git config	Configure Git settings	--global global config --local local config --system system config	Environment initialization
git config --list	View all configurations	--show-origin show config source	Check configuration status
git config --unset	Remove configuration	--global remove global config	Clean incorrect config

Common Configuration Commands

# Set user information
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

# Set default editor
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
git config --global core.editor "vim"

# Set default branch name
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

# Set line ending handling
git config --global core.autocrlf input  # Mac/Linux
git config --global core.autocrlf true   # Windows

# Set aliases
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.ci commit

# View configuration
git config --list
git config user.name

2. File Status & Commit Management 📝

File Status Check

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git status	Check working directory status	-s short output --porcelain script-friendly format -b show branch info	Check file status
git ls-files	List files in index	--cached staged files --deleted deleted files --modified modified files	View tracked files
git diff	View differences	--cached staged differences --staged same as –cached --name-only show only filenames	Compare file changes

File Operations

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git add	Add files to staging area	. add all files -A add all changes -p interactive add -u add only tracked files	Prepare for commit
git rm	Remove files	--cached remove from staging only -r recursively remove directory -f force remove	Remove files
git mv	Move/rename files	No special parameters	Rename files
git restore	Restore files	--staged unstage --worktree restore working tree	Undo changes

Commit Management

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git commit	Commit staged content	-m "message" commit message -a auto stage tracked files --amend modify last commit -v show diff	Save changes
git commit --fixup	Create fixup commit	<commit> specify commit to fix	Fix historical commit
git commit --squash	Create squash commit	<commit> specify commit to squash	Prepare commit merge

Practical Scenarios

# Quick commit all changes
git add . && git commit -m "feat: add new feature"

# Modify last commit message
git commit --amend -m "fix: correct commit message"

# Modify last commit content (add forgotten file)
git add forgotten_file.txt
git commit --amend --no-edit

# Unstage file
git restore --staged <file>
git reset HEAD <file>  # legacy command

# Undo working directory changes
git restore <file>
git checkout -- <file>  # legacy command

# Interactive add partial file content
git add -p <file>

3. Version History & Rollback 🔄

History Viewing

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git log	View commit history	--oneline single line display --graph graphical display -n <num> limit display count --since="2 weeks ago" time filter	View project history
git log --follow	Track file history	<file> specify file	View file change history
git show	Show commit details	<commit-id> specify commit --stat show statistics --name-only show filenames only	View specific commit
git blame	View file modification record	-L <start>,<end> specify line range -w ignore whitespace	Track code author
git shortlog	Commit summary grouped by author	-n sort by commit count -s show statistics only	Generate changelog

Advanced History Viewing

# Pretty commit history
git log --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset' --abbrev-commit

# View file modification history
git log --follow -p <file>

# View differences between branches
git log master..feature-branch

# View commits by author
git log --author="John Doe"

# Search commits with keywords
git log --grep="bug fix"

# View commits in time range
git log --since="2023-01-01" --until="2023-12-31"

Version Rollback & Reset

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git reset	Reset to specified state	--soft keep working tree and staging --mixed keep working tree --hard complete reset	Undo commits
git revert	Create reverse commit	--no-edit don’t edit commit message -n don’t auto commit	Safe undo
git checkout	Switch branch or restore file	<file> restore file <commit> -- <file> restore to specific version	Restore files
git reflog	View reference log	--all show all references	Recover lost commits

Rollback Scenario Examples

# Undo last commit, keep changes
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# Undo last commit, don't keep changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# Undo last 3 commits
git reset --hard HEAD~3

# Reset to specific commit
git reset --hard <commit-id>

# Create reverse commit to undo
git revert HEAD
git revert <commit-id>

# Recover mistakenly deleted commit
git reflog
git reset --hard <commit-id>

4. Branch Management Strategy 🌿

Basic Branch Operations

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git branch	Branch management	-a show all branches -r show remote branches -d delete branch -D force delete -m rename branch	Manage branches
git checkout	Switch branch	-b create and switch - switch to previous branch -t track remote branch	Branch switching
git switch	Switch branch (new command)	-c create and switch - switch to previous branch	Modern branch switching
git branch --set-upstream-to	Set upstream branch	origin/<branch> specify remote branch	Associate remote branch

Branch Merge & Rebase

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git merge	Merge branch	--no-ff disable fast-forward merge --squash squash merge --abort abort merge	Integrate branches
git rebase	Rebase operation	-i interactive rebase --onto specify new base --abort abort rebase --continue continue rebase	Clean commit history
git cherry-pick	Pick commits	-n don’t auto commit -x record original commit info	Selective merge

Branch Workflow Examples

# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b feature/user-auth
git switch -c feature/user-auth  # new command

# View all branches
git branch -a

# Rename branch
git branch -m old-name new-name

# Delete local branch
git branch -d feature/completed-feature
git branch -D feature/abandoned-feature  # force delete

# Delete remote branch
git push origin --delete feature/old-feature

# Set upstream branch
git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/main main

# Merge branch (preserve merge record)
git checkout main
git merge --no-ff feature/user-auth

# Squash merge (combine multiple commits into one)
git merge --squash feature/user-auth
git commit -m "feat: add user authentication feature"

# Rebase merge (linear history)
git checkout feature/user-auth
git rebase main
git checkout main
git merge feature/user-auth

# Interactive rebase (clean commit history)
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# Cherry-pick specific commits
git cherry-pick <commit-id>

5. Remote Repository Collaboration 🌐

Remote Repository Management

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git remote	Manage remote repositories	-v show detailed info add <name> <url> add remote repo remove <name> remove remote repo rename <old> <new> rename	Configure remote repos
git remote show	Show remote repository info	<remote-name> specify remote repo	View remote status
git remote prune	Clean remote branch references	<remote-name> specify remote repo	Clean invalid references

Data Synchronization

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git fetch	Fetch remote updates	--all fetch all remote branches --prune clean invalid references --tags fetch tags	Sync remote data
git pull	Pull and merge	--rebase use rebase merge --ff-only fast-forward only --no-ff disable fast-forward	Update local branch
git push	Push to remote	-u set upstream branch --force-with-lease safe force push --tags push tags --delete delete remote branch	Publish changes

Collaboration Scenarios

# Add remote repository
git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git
git remote add upstream https://github.com/original/repo.git

# View remote repositories
git remote -v
git remote show origin

# First push and set upstream
git push -u origin main

# Fetch remote updates without merge
git fetch origin
git fetch --all

# Pull and merge
git pull origin main
git pull --rebase origin main  # use rebase

# Push to remote
git push origin feature-branch

# Safe force push
git push --force-with-lease origin main

# Push tags
git push --tags
git push origin v1.0.0

# Delete remote branch
git push origin --delete feature-branch

# Clean local remote branch references
git remote prune origin

6. Tag Management 🏷️

Tag Operations

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git tag	Tag management	-a create annotated tag -d delete tag -l list tags -f force create	Version marking
git tag -l	List tags	"v1.*" pattern matching	Find specific tags
git show <tag>	Show tag info	No special parameters	View tag details
git push --tags	Push tags	--follow-tags push annotated tags only	Release versions

Tag Usage Examples

# Create lightweight tag
git tag v1.0.0

# Create annotated tag
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release version 1.0.0"

# Create tag for historical commit
git tag -a v0.9.0 <commit-id> -m "Version 0.9.0"

# List all tags
git tag
git tag -l "v1.*"

# View tag information
git show v1.0.0

# Push tags to remote
git push origin v1.0.0
git push --tags

# Delete local tag
git tag -d v1.0.0

# Delete remote tag
git push origin --delete v1.0.0

# Checkout tag (create branch)
git checkout -b version-1.0.0 v1.0.0

7. Stashing & Recovery 💾

Stash Operations

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git stash	Stash current work	push -m "message" add description -u include untracked files -a include all files	Temporarily save work
git stash list	List stash entries	No special parameters	View stash records
git stash pop	Restore and delete stash	stash@{n} specify stash	Restore work state
git stash apply	Restore but keep stash	stash@{n} specify stash	Reuse stash
git stash drop	Delete stash	stash@{n} specify stash	Clean stash
git stash clear	Clear all stashes	No special parameters	Clean all stashes

Stash Usage Scenarios

# Stash current work
git stash
git stash push -m "temporary save: work state before bug fix"

# Stash including untracked files
git stash -u

# View stash list
git stash list

# Restore latest stash
git stash pop

# Restore specific stash
git stash apply stash@{1}

# View stash content
git stash show
git stash show -p stash@{1}

# Delete specific stash
git stash drop stash@{1}

# Clear all stashes
git stash clear

# Create branch from stash
git stash branch new-feature stash@{1}

8. Submodule Management 📦

Submodule Operations

Command	Function	Common Parameters	Use Case
git submodule add	Add submodule	<url> <path> specify URL and path	Include external project
git submodule init	Initialize submodule	No special parameters	Initialize configuration
git submodule update	Update submodule	--recursive recursive update --remote update to remote latest	Sync submodules
git submodule foreach	Execute command on all submodules	<command> specify command	Batch operations

Submodule Usage Examples

# Add submodule
git submodule add https://github.com/user/library.git libs/library

# Clone project with submodules
git clone --recursive https://github.com/user/project.git

# Initialize and update submodules
git submodule init
git submodule update

# Update submodules to latest version
git submodule update --remote

# Execute command on all submodules
git submodule foreach git pull origin main

# Remove submodule
git submodule deinit libs/library
git rm libs/library

9. Practical Tips & Alias Configuration ⚡

Recommended Alias Configuration

# Basic aliases
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.ci commit
git config --global alias.unstage 'reset HEAD --'
git config --global alias.last 'log -1 HEAD'
git config --global alias.visual '!gitk'

# Advanced aliases
git config --global alias.lg "log --color --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset' --abbrev-commit"
git config --global alias.ll "log --oneline --graph --decorate --all"
git config --global alias.ls "log --pretty=format:'%C(yellow)%h %C(blue)%ad %C(red)%d %C(reset)%s %C(green)[%cn]' --decorate --date=short"
git config --global alias.hist "log --pretty=format:'%h %ad | %s%d [%an]' --graph --date=short"

# Practical aliases
git config --global alias.amend 'commit --amend --no-edit'
git config --global alias.uncommit 'reset --soft HEAD~1'
git config --global alias.unstage 'reset HEAD --'
git config --global alias.discard 'checkout --'
git config --global alias.graph 'log --graph --oneline --decorate --all'
git config --global alias.aliases "config --get-regexp '^alias\.'"

.gitignore Common Template

# Dependencies
node_modules/
vendor/
bower_components/

# Build output
dist/
build/
out/
target/
*.min.js
*.min.css

# Log files
*.log
logs/
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*

# System files
.DS_Store
.DS_Store?
._*
.Spotlight-V100
.Trashes
ehthumbs.db
Thumbs.db

# IDE configuration
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp
*.swo
*~
.project
.classpath
.settings/

# Environment configuration
.env
.env.local
.env.development.local
.env.test.local
.env.production.local

# Cache files
.cache/
.parcel-cache/
.next/
.nuxt/

# Test coverage
coverage/
*.lcov

# Temporary files
*.tmp
*.temp
.tmp/

Git Hook Examples

# Pre-commit check (.git/hooks/pre-commit)
#!/bin/sh
# Run code check
npm run lint
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    echo "Code check failed, please fix before commit"
    exit 1
fi

# Commit message check (.git/hooks/commit-msg)
#!/bin/sh
# Check commit message format
commit_regex='^(feat|fix|docs|style|refactor|test|chore)(\(.+\))?: .{1,50}'
if ! grep -qE "$commit_regex" "$1"; then
    echo "Wrong commit message format, please use: type(scope): description"
    exit 1
fi

10. Common Problem Solutions 🔧

Typical Scenario Handling

Undo last commit but keep changes

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Modify pushed commit message

git commit --amend -m "new commit message"
git push --force-with-lease

Merge multiple commits

git rebase -i HEAD~3  # merge last 3 commits
# In editor, change pick to squash

Resolve merge conflicts

# View conflict files
git status

# After manually resolving conflicts
git add <resolved-file>
git commit

# Or abort merge
git merge --abort

Recover mistakenly deleted branch

# Find branch's last commit
git reflog

# Recover branch
git checkout -b <branch-name> <commit-id>

Clean local branches

# Delete merged branches
git branch --merged | grep -v "\*\|main\|master" | xargs -n 1 git branch -d

# Delete local branches for remote deleted
git remote prune origin

Undo git add

# Undo all staging
git reset HEAD

# Undo specific file staging
git reset HEAD <file>

Modify historical commits

# Interactive rebase to modify history
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# Modify specific commit
git commit --fixup <commit-id>
git rebase -i --autosquash HEAD~3

11. Advanced Tips 🎯

Search & Find

# Search code in commit history
git log -S "function_name" --source --all

# Search commit messages
git log --grep="bug fix" --oneline

# Find commit that introduced bug
git bisect start
git bisect bad HEAD
git bisect good v1.0.0

# Find keywords in files
git grep "TODO" HEAD~5

Performance Optimization

# Clean unnecessary files and optimize repository
git gc --aggressive --prune=now

# View repository size
git count-objects -vH

# Clean reflog
git reflog expire --expire=now --all
git gc --prune=now

Workflow Integration

# Set up Git Flow
git flow init

# Start new feature
git flow feature start new-feature

# Finish feature
git flow feature finish new-feature

# Start release
git flow release start 1.0.0
git flow release finish 1.0.0

12. Recommended Learning Resources 📚

Official Resources

• Official Documentation: Git Official Docs
• Pro Git Book: Pro Git
• Git Tutorial: Git Tutorial

Interactive Learning

• Learn Git Branching: learngitbranching.js.org
• Git Immersion: gitimmersion.com
• Atlassian Git Tutorials: atlassian.com/git/tutorials

Quick Reference

• Git Cheat Sheet: education.github.com
• Visual Git Cheat Sheet: ndpsoftware.com

Advanced Reading

• “Pro Git” Book - Scott Chacon & Ben Straub
• “Git Version Control Management” - Jon Loeliger & Matthew McCullough
• “Git Authoritative Guide” - Jiang Xin

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💡 Tips: It’s recommended to set frequently used commands as aliases and regularly practice branch operations and conflict resolution to greatly improve daily development efficiency!

🔖 Quick Search: Use Ctrl+F to search for specific commands or functional keywords to quickly locate needed content.

⚡ Efficiency Boost: After mastering these commands, consider learning Git Flow workflow and semantic commit conventions to further improve team collaboration efficiency.