5 Advanced Git Commands Every Developer Should Know in 2023!

Are you tired of using the same old Git commands day in and day out? Are you ready to take your Git skills to the next level? Look no further! In this blog post, we'll cover 5 advanced Git commands that every developer should have in their toolkit. From cherry-picking specific commits to rebasing branches, these commands will help you streamline your workflow and become a Git pro. So let's dive in and see what Git has to offer!

Introduction

As a developer, Git is an essential tool for managing and tracking code changes. While the basic Git commands like commit, push, and pull are essential for everyday use, there are also a number of advanced Git commands that can greatly enhance your workflow. These commands can help you streamline your development process, fix bugs more efficiently, and better collaborate with your team.

Overview

In this blog post, we'll cover 5 advanced Git commands that every developer should know. From cherry-picking specific commits to rebasing branches, these commands will help you take your Git skills to the next level. We'll also provide examples and tips for using each command effectively.

Here's a quick overview of the commands we'll cover in this post:

1. git cherry-pick: This command allows you to apply the changes from a specific commit to your current branch.

2. git rebase: Rebasing allows you to integrate changes from one branch into another by reapplying commits on top of the target branch.

3. git bisect: This command can help you identify which commit introduced a bug in your code.

4. git stash: Stashing allows you to temporarily store changes that you're not ready to commit, so you can switch branches without losing your work.

5. git submodule: Submodules allow you to include a repository within another repository, making it easy to manage and track external dependencies.

git cherry-pick

git cherry-pick is a command that allows you to apply the changes from a specific commit to your current branch. This is useful when you want to apply a specific fix or feature from another branch, but don't want to merge the entire branch.

To use git cherry-pick, you'll need to specify the commit hash of the commit you want to apply. For example:

git cherry-pick abc123

This will apply the changes from the commit with the hash abc123 to your current branch. If there are conflicts, you'll need to resolve them before the cherry-pick can be completed.

Here are a few examples of when you might use git cherry-pick :

• You want to apply a fix from another branch to your current branch, but don't want to merge the entire branch.

• You want to apply a specific commit from a third-party library to your project, without merging the entire library.

• You want to experiment with applying a specific commit to your branch to see how it affects your code.

Overall, git cherry-pick is a useful tool for selectively applying changes from specific commits to your codebase. It can help you streamline your development process and make it easier to incorporate changes from other branches or repositories.

git rebase

git rebase is a command that allows you to integrate changes from one branch into another by reapplying commits on top of the target branch. This can be used to clean up a messy commit history, or to merge branches without creating a new merge commit.

To use git rebase, you'll need to specify the branch you want to rebase onto the current branch. For example:

git rebase other-branch

This will reapply the commits from the other-branch onto the current branch. If there are conflicts, you'll need to resolve them before the rebase can be completed.

Here are a few examples of when you might use git rebase:

• You want to clean up your commit history by squashing multiple commits into a single commit.

• You want to merge a branch into the current branch, but don't want to create a new merge commit.

• You want to update the current branch with the latest changes from another branch, but don't want to create a new merge commit.

Overall, git rebase is a powerful tool for integrating changes from one branch into another. It can help you streamline your commit history and make it easier to collaborate with your team. However, it's important to be careful when using git rebase, as it can rewrite history and cause issues if used improperly.

git bisect

git bisect is a command that can help you identify which commit introduced a bug in your code. It works by dividing the commit history in half and allowing you to test each half, until you narrow down the commit that introduced the bug.

To use git bisect, you'll need to start by specifying a "bad" commit that contains the bug, and a "good" commit that does not contain the bug. For example:

git bisect start
git bisect bad HEAD
git bisect good v1.0

This will start the git bisect process and divide the commit history between the HEAD commit (which is assumed to contain the bug) and the v1.0 commit (which is assumed to be free of the bug).

Next, you'll need to test each commit and mark it as either "good" or "bad" using the git bisect good or git bisect bad commands. Git will automatically move to the next commit in the history and ask you to test it. This process will continue until Git narrows down the commit that introduced the bug.

Here are a few tips for using git bisect effectively:

• Make sure to test each commit thoroughly, as a single "bad" commit can throw off the entire process.

• Use binary search techniques to narrow down the search as quickly as possible.

• Consider using automated testing tools to help test each commit more efficiently.

Overall, git bisect is a powerful tool for identifying the source of a bug in your code. By following a systematic approach and testing each commit thoroughly, you can quickly and accurately pinpoint the commit that introduced the bug.

git stash

git stash is a command that allows you to temporarily store changes that you're not ready to commit, so you can switch branches without losing your work. This is useful when you need to switch branches for a quick fix, but don't want to commit your unfinished changes.

To use git stash, you can simply run the git stash command. This will store your changes in a temporary stash, and revert your working directory to the last commit. For example:

git stash

To restore the stashed changes, you can use the git stash apply command. This will apply the stashed changes to your current branch, but will not remove the stash from the stash list. If you want to remove the stash from the list, you can use the git stash drop command.

Here are a few examples of when you might use git stash:

• You want to switch branches to work on a quick fix, but don't want to commit your unfinished changes.

• You want to switch branches to test something, but don't want to commit your changes.

• You want to temporarily store changes while you work on something else.

Overall, git stash is a useful tool for temporarily storing changes while you switch branches or work on something else. It can help you keep your working directory clean and make it easier to switch between tasks.

git submodule

git submodule is a command that allows you to include a repository within another repository, making it easy to manage and track external dependencies. This is especially useful when working with large projects that have multiple dependencies.

To use git submodule, you'll need to add the repository as a submodule to your project. You can do this using the git submodule add command, followed by the URL of the repository you want to include. For example:

git submodule add https://github.com/other-repo.git

This will add the other-repo repository as a submodule to your project. You can then commit the changes to your main repository, and the submodule will be included as part of your project.

Here are a few tips for working with submodules:

• Make sure to commit any changes you make to a submodule to the submodule's repository, not the main repository.

• Use the git submodule update command to update the submodule to the latest version.

• Use the git submodule sync command to synchronize the submodule URLs with the latest version.

Overall, submodules are a powerful tool for managing external dependencies in your project. By including external repositories as submodules, you can easily track and update these dependencies, while keeping your main repository clean and organized.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we've covered 5 advanced Git commands that every developer should know. These commands include git cherry-pick, which allows you to apply the changes from a specific commit to your current branch; git rebase, which allows you to integrate changes from one branch into another by reapplying commits on top of the target branch; git bisect, which helps you identify which commit introduced a bug in your code; git stash, which allows you to temporarily store changes that you're not ready to commit; and git submodule, which allows you to include a repository within another repository.

By mastering these commands, you'll be able to streamline your workflow, fix bugs more efficiently, and better collaborate with your team. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced Git user, these commands are essential for taking your skills to the next level.

In conclusion, advanced Git commands are an important tool for any developer. By learning to use cherry-pick, rebase, bisect, stash, and submodules, you'll be able to work more efficiently and effectively with Git.