🧰 Git Basics Cheat Sheet

Topic	Purpose	Command / Action	Notes
Install Git	Install Git on your computer	macOS: brew install git Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt update && sudo apt install git Windows: git-scm.com/downloads	Windows users should install Git Bash
Configure user info	Set your name and email for commits	git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "[email protected]"	Run once per computer; use git config --list to verify
Authenticate with GitHub	Enable push/pull access	SSH method: ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]" cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub → add key on GitHub → Settings → SSH Keys	SSH is recommended for long-term setup
Start a repo	Create a Git repository in a folder	git init	Creates a hidden .git folder
Add files	Track all files in the directory	git add .	Use git status to verify added files
Commit changes	Save a snapshot of your work	git commit -m "Initial commit"	Always include a short, meaningful message
Connect to GitHub	Link local repo to remote repo	git remote add origin [email protected]:username/repo.git	Connects local and remote repos
Push to GitHub	Upload commits to GitHub	git branch -M main git push -u origin main	Sets “main” as default branch
Pull updates	Get latest changes from GitHub	git pull	Keeps local copy up to date
Check status	See what’s new or changed locally	git status	Shows new, modified, and tracked files
View history	See previous commits	git log	Add --oneline for a compact view