Top 12 Git Commands for Every Developer

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2024

Git is a distributed version control system and open-source software. It enables

developers to manage many versions of a source code with ease. You can use it to figure
out who did what, when, and why. Git has become a must-have tool for any developer
nowadays, and knowing Git commands is required for developers to fully utilize Git.
There are hundreds of Git commands, but just a few are used regularly.

Mastering the very best Git commands is essential in any development environment.
This will serve a variety of purposes, from simple project management to complex
collaboration. This article will run through the top 12 Git commands every developer
must know to enhance productivity and smoothen workflows. These commands are at
the heart of managing code repositories, making commits, and efficiently creating
branches for collaboration among team members. Whether you are a seasoned
developer or just a beginner, mastering these essential Git commands will literally
change the way and depth to which version control practices you work through, thus
keeping your codebase clean and organized.

Table of Content

• What are Git Commands?

• Top 12 Git Commands for Every Developer

o 1. git config

o 2. git init

o 3. git clone

o 4. git status

o 5. git add

o 6. git commit

o 7. git push

o 8. git branch

o 9. git checkout

o 10. git merge

 o 11. git pull

o 12. git log

What are Git Commands?

Git commands are explicit instructions given to the Git version control system to
manipulate it for certain tasks in managing and tracking changes in a code repository.
Using these commands, a developer can interact with the Git repository to initialize a
new repository, make commits, branch, merge, and many other activities. The
knowledge and mastering of these commands is key to efficient version control and
collaboration in software development.

Top 12 Git Commands for Every Developer

Git offers a lot of commands to enhance collaboration, improve workflow, and increase
productivity among developers. There are many basic Git commands that are used
regularly by every developer. In this article, we will focus on the Top 12 Git
Commands that are used for project management in a collaborative environment.

1. git config

Before you can start using Git, you need to configure it. This command allows you to
specify the username and email address that will be used with your commits.

# sets up Git with your name

git config --global user.name "<Your-Full-Name>"

# sets up Git with your email

git config --global user.email "<your-email-address>"

2. git init

A Git repository must first be created before you can make commits or do anything else
with it. We’ll use the git init command to create a new Git repository. The init
subcommand stands for “initialize,” which is useful because it’s the command that
handles all of a repository’s initial setup. In a moment, we’ll look at what it does. The git
init command creates all of the necessary files and directories for Git to keep track of
everything. All of these files are kept in a directory called .git (note the . at the beginning;
this indicates that it will be hidden on Mac/Linux). The “repo” is this .git directory!

$ git init

3. git clone

The command we’ll be using on the terminal is git clone, which shows how cloning is
related to Git. The git clone command takes a path (typically a URL) to the Git
repository you want to clone. The command is git clone, and the path to the Git
repository you want to clone is passed as an argument. This is the URL for the project
we’ll be working on throughout the course. git clone produces a local working copy of a
remote repository’s source code. When you clone a repository, the code is
downloaded to your machine automatically. If you have permission, this command will
add the original location as a remote location, allowing you to grab changes from it and
push changes to it.

$ git clone https://github.com/<repo-url>

4. git status
The git status command is the key to Git’s mind. It will inform us of Git’s thoughts and
the state of our repository as seen by Git. When you’re first getting started, you should
always use the git status command! Seriously. It’s a good idea to start running it after
any other command. This will assist you in learning Git and avoiding making (potentially)
inaccurate assumptions about the state of your files/repository.

$ git status

Depending on the state of your files, working directory, and repository, the git status tool
will display a lot of information.

5. git add

To move files from the Working Directory to the Staging Index, use the git add
command. The git add command saves your changes in a file to the staging area,
allowing you to compare your local version to the remote repository’s version. Before
committing your new or changed file, use the git add command to add it to the staging
area. To add specific files,