Git Cheat Sheet — The Default Gateway

Setup

Run these once when setting up Git on a new machine:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

Verify your configuration:

git config --list

Starting a Repository

Initialize a new repo in an existing folder:

cd path/to/your/folder
git init

Or clone an existing repo from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/username/repo.git

Checking Status

git status    # see what has changed in your working directory
git log       # view the full commit history

Staging and Committing

git add filename    # stage a specific file
git add .           # stage all changes at once

git commit -m "Your commit message here"

A commit is a permanent snapshot of everything you staged. Write commit messages in the present tense and make them descriptive — "add SSH key guide" not "stuff".

Working with Remote Repos

git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repo.git

git push -u origin main    # push commits to GitHub
git pull origin main       # fetch and merge remote changes

NOTE

Use master instead of main if your branch is named master. New repos default to main — check with git branch if unsure.

Everyday Workflow

git pull                        # 1. get the latest changes
# make your edits
git add .                       # 2. stage everything
git commit -m "describe change" # 3. commit
git push                        # 4. push to GitHub

Useful Commands

git diff              # see what changed before staging
git checkout file     # undo changes to a file
git branch            # list all branches
git branch newbranch  # create a new branch
git checkout newbranch # switch to a branch

Git Workflow at a Glance

Step	Command	What happens
1	`git add .`	Files move from working directory to staging area
2	`git commit -m "message"`	Staging area saved as a snapshot in local repo
3	`git push`	Local commits uploaded to GitHub
4	`git pull`	Remote changes downloaded to working directory

Quick Reference

Command	What it does
`git init`	Initialize a new Git repo
`git clone <url>`	Download an existing repo
`git status`	Show staged, unstaged, and untracked changes
`git add .`	Stage all changes
`git commit -m "msg"`	Save a snapshot with a message
`git push`	Upload commits to remote
`git pull`	Download and merge remote changes
`git log`	View commit history
`git diff`	See unstaged changes
`git branch`	List branches
`git checkout <branch>`	Switch branches