Git version control - Advance Level
What is the command to write a commit message in Git?
In Git, a commit is a snapshot of the changes made to the codebase. The commit message is a short, descriptive text that is associated with each commit and is used to explain the changes that were made in that commit.
The command to write a commit message in Git is "git commit". This command is typically used in conjunction with the "-m" or "--message" option, which allows you to specify the commit message as a command-line argument. Here is an example of how you might use the "git commit" command to write a commit message:
git commit -m "This is my commit message"
Alternatively, you could use the command "git commit" without any option, This will open up a text editor where you can write your commit message, after you write your message you need to save the file and exit the text editor in order to create the commit.
It's worth mentioning that commit messages should be short (typically around 50 characters or less) and should describe the changes that were made in the commit. Good commit messages are clear and concise and make it easy for other developers to understand what changes were made and why.
Also, Git allows you to make multiple commits for each logical change, So you should think about breaking down the changes you made in the code into smaller chunks, write commit messages for each of them, this would make it easier for you and others to understand the changes made over time.
What's the difference between a pull request and a branch?
In Git, a branch is a separate line of development that allows multiple people to work on the same codebase simultaneously without interfering with each other's changes. A pull request is a way to propose changes to a project that is hosted on a remote repository such as GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.
A branch is created by a developer on their local repository and it's used to work on a new feature, bugfix, or any other change on the codebase, once the changes are ready, the developer then pushes the branch to the remote repository where it's available to be reviewed and merged.
A pull request, on the other hand, is a way to propose changes that were made in a branch to be merged into another branch, usually the main development branch, It's a request that is made to the project maintainers to review and merge the changes. It's a way for developers to collaborate and review code changes with their peers, discussing the changes, and making adjustments before merging the code into the main branch.
A pull request is a way to submit changes made on a branch to a remote repository, it's a way to propose that a branch be included in the main development.
In summary, a branch is a way to work on a new feature, bugfix or any other change on a codebase, and a pull request is a way to propose that the changes made in a branch to be included in the main development, it's a way to review, discuss and merge changes before they are officially part of the codebase.
What is the difference between git pull and git fetch?
In Git, both git pull and git fetch are used to retrieve changes from a remote repository, but they work in slightly different ways:
·????????git fetch retrieves new commits from a remote repository and stores them in your local repository. It does not automatically merge the changes into your local branches. Instead, it stores the changes in a remote-tracking branch, which is a local copy of the remote branch. You can then use the git merge or git rebase command to integrate the changes into your local branches.
·????????git pull, on the other hand, retrieves new commits from a remote repository and automatically merges them into the current branch you are on. This is a combination of git fetch and git merge commands. The git pull command is used to fetch the latest commits from a remote repository and merge them into the current branch you are working on.
The main difference between git fetch and git pull is the way they update your local repository, git fetch simply retrieve the changes and store them, it's up to you to decide how you want to integrate them, while git pull retrieves and integrates the changes in one command.
It's worth noting that git pull can be more convenient, but it can also lead to merge conflicts if the changes that you made in your local repository are incompatible with the changes that are being pulled. Using git fetch and
What is Git fork? What is difference between fork, branch and clone?
In Git, a fork is a copy of a repository that is created on a remote server, such as GitHub or GitLab. When you fork a repository, you create a new, separate repository that is based on the original repository. You can then make changes to the codebase in your own fork and submit pull requests to the original repository to propose that your changes be merged.
A branch, on the other hand, is a way to work on a new feature, bug fix or any other change on the codebase while keeping the original codebase unchanged. When you create a new branch, you create a new line of development that is separate from the main development branch, so you can work on new changes without impacting the main development.
A clone, is a copy of the codebase on your local machine. You can use the command git clone to create a copy of a remote repository on your local machine. This copy, or clone, is completely independent from the original repository, you can make changes to it, push them to the remote repository or create branches and forks, etc.
So the main difference between fork, branch, and clone are:
·????????A fork is a copy of a repository on a remote server.
·????????A branch is a way to work on a new feature or change on the codebase, keeping the original codebase unchanged.
·????????A clone is a copy of the codebase on your local machine, it's a way to have a copy of the codebase that you can work on, push, pull and all other Git operations.
You can think of a fork as a way to propose changes to a project that's hosted on a remote repository, a branch is a way to work on changes that you want to propose or keep them separate, and a clone is a way to have a copy of the codebase to work on locally.
Explain the advantages of Forking Workflow ?
The forking workflow is a version control workflow that is commonly used in distributed version control systems like Git, it is based on the idea of creating a fork of a remote repository, making changes to it and proposing the changes to be merged back into the original repository. The main advantages of the forking workflow are:
·????????Collaboration: The forking workflow allows for easy collaboration between multiple developers, each developer can work on their own fork of the repository, and propose changes to the original repository by submitting pull requests. This allows for multiple people to work on the same codebase simultaneously without interfering with each other's changes.
·????????Isolation: The forking workflow allows developers to make changes to the codebase without affecting the main development. The changes are made on a fork of the repository, so they do not impact the main development branch until they are reviewed and approved.
·????????Review: The forking workflow allows for code review before changes are merged into the main development branch. When a developer submits a pull request, other developers can review the changes and make suggestions or feedback before they are merged. This allows for better quality control and ensures that changes are consistent with the project's development standards.
·????????Flexibility: The forking workflow allows developers to make changes to the codebase without the need for direct access to the main repository, this allows for a more flexible collaboration, and developers can work on their own fork and propose changes that they see fit.
·????????Scalability: The forking workflow can handle a large number of contributors effectively, it allows to create a large number of forks, and it's easy to handle and review pull requests.
Overall, the forking workflow is a powerful way to manage and collaborate on code, it allows for easy collaboration, isolation, review, flexibility
When should I use git stash?
Git stash is a command that allows you to save your changes temporarily, without committing them to the repository. This can be useful in situations where you need to switch to a different branch to work on something else, but you don't want to commit your changes and you don't want to lose them.
Here are a few common use cases for git stash:
·????????Switching branches: You're working on a feature in a branch and need to switch to a different branch to work on something else, but you don't want to commit your changes to the branch you're currently on. You can use git stash to save your changes temporarily, switch to the other branch, and then apply your changes later.
·????????Collaborating: You're working on something with a colleague, but they need to work on the same file. You can use git stash to save your changes temporarily, allow your colleague to work on the file, and then apply your changes later.
·????????Cleaning up your work area: You're working on multiple things and your local repository is getting cluttered with many commits, you can use git stash to save your changes temporarily, clean up your local repository and then apply your changes later.
·????????Debugging: You're working on something and you need to debug an issue in your code, but you don't want to commit your changes in the middle of debugging process. you can use git stash to save your changes, debug the issue and then apply your changes later.
It's worth noting that git stash can save multiple sets of changes
Tell me the difference between HEAD, working tree and index, in Git?
In Git, the terms "HEAD", "working tree", and "index" are all related to the different states that files in a Git repository can be in.
·????????HEAD refers to the current commit in the repository. When you make a new commit, the HEAD pointer is updated to point to the new commit. The HEAD pointer always points to the most recent commit on the current branch.
·????????Working tree refers to the state of the files on your local file system. The working tree includes all the files that are currently in the repository, as well as any new files that you've created or modified but haven't yet added to the repository. The working tree is the state of the files that you see when you navigate to the root of your repository on your local file system.
·????????Index refers to the stage area where you will stage the changes before you commit them. The index is a sort of a buffer between the working tree and the repository, it's a place where you prepare the changes before you commit them, you can think of it as a place where you can review the changes before you make the final commit.
To visualize the difference between these three concepts you can think of the repository as a series of snapshots, each snapshot is a commit, representing the state of the files at a specific point in time, the HEAD pointer is pointing to the most recent snapshot and it's the reference point for the next action, whether you want to create a new snapshot or move around the existing ones.
The working tree is the current state of the files on your local file system, it may contain changes that are not yet committed, while the index is the place where you can review and prepare the changes before you commit them, it acts as an intermediary stage between the working tree and the repository
How to revert previous commit in git?
There are several ways to revert a previous commit in Git, depending on the changes that you want to undo. Here are a few common methods:
·????????git revert: This command creates a new commit that undoes the changes made in the previous commit. It does not remove the previous commit from the repository, but instead it creates a new one that cancels out the changes made. This is useful if you want to keep the history of the repository intact and the previous commit is visible. For example, the command will be:
git revert <commit-hash>
·????????git reset: This command discards commits from the current branch and can be used to "undo" commits that haven't been pushed yet. It's used to discard commits that are still local. It can be used in two ways:
·????????git reset <commit-hash> : it will reset the branch to the specific commit and it will discard the commits that came after it, this will also change the head of the branch.
·????????git reset --hard <commit-hash>: it will reset the branch and discard the commits and it will also discard the changes in the working tree.
·????????git checkout: This command is used to switch between branches or to restore specific files or directories to their state at the time of the commit. For example, you can use the command
What is git cherry-pick?
git cherry-pick is a command in Git that allows you to select and apply specific commits from one branch to another. It allows you to choose commits from one branch and apply them to another without merging the entire branch. This can be useful in situations where you want to selectively apply changes from one branch to another, without bringing over the entire branch's history.
The basic syntax of the command is:
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
When you run the command, git will take the changes made in the specified commit, and apply them to the current branch. This creates a new commit on the current branch, with the same changes as the original commit. The new commit will have a different hash than the original commit, since it's a different commit but it will have the same changes.
Cherry-pick is useful when you want to merge specific commits from one branch to another without merging the entire branch, or if you have multiple branches that have diverged, and you want to apply a specific commit that was made in one branch to another branch.
It's worth noting that cherry-picking commits can lead to conflicts if the same lines of code have been modified in different ways on different branches. In that case, you need to resolve the conflicts manually before you can cherry-pick the commits.
Could you explain the Gitflow workflow?
Gitflow workflow is a branching model for Git that was developed by Vincent Driessen. It is a strict branching model that is designed to handle large and complex projects with multiple developers. The main idea of the Gitflow workflow is to separate the main branches of the repository into several distinct branches, each with a specific purpose.
The basic branches in the Gitflow workflow are:
·????????master: This is the main branch that contains the officially released code. It should always be in a releasable state.
·????????develop: This is the main branch where all the active development takes place. It is used to integrate new features and bugfixes.
·????????feature: These branches are used to develop new features. They are created from the develop branch and are used to develop and test new features before they are merged into the develop branch.
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·????????release: These branches are used to prepare for a release. They are created from the develop branch and are used to test and polish the code before it is released.
·????????hotfix: These branches are used to fix critical issues that need to be addressed immediately. They are created from the master branch and are used to fix bugs and other issues that need to be released immediately.?
The basic flow of the Gitflow workflow is as follows:
1.???Developers create a feature branch from the develop branch, to develop and test new features.
2.???Once the feature is complete, the feature branch is merged back into
What is a "bare git" repository?
A "bare" Git repository is a type of repository that has no working tree or files checked out in the local file system. It is a simple, centralized repository that can be used to store the version history of a project, but does not contain a working copy of the files.
A bare repository contains all the version-controlled data, including the full history of commits, branches, and tags, but it does not contain any of the files from the working tree of the project. This means that you cannot make changes to the files or see the current state of the files within the bare repository.
Bare repositories are typically used as remote repositories, where multiple developers can push and pull changes. They can also be used as a backup for local repositories, for disaster recovery and for creating new working copies of the repository.
Bare repositories are typically created using the git init --bare command, and the bare repository is usually stored on a shared server and accessed by multiple developers using the git push and git pull commands.
One of the key differences between a regular and a bare repository is that in a regular repository, the HEAD reference points to the currently checked-out branch, while in a bare repository, the HEAD reference is not a file but a symbolic reference to the branch that is currently active in the repository.
What is git bisect? How can you use it to determine the source of a (regression) bug?
git bisect is a command in Git that allows you to quickly locate the commit that introduced a bug into your codebase. It does this by using a binary search algorithm to divide the history of commits into smaller and smaller segments until it locates the commit that introduced the bug.
The basic steps of using git bisect to determine the source of a bug are as follows:
1.????First, identify a commit in the repository's history that you know to be "good" (i.e., it does not contain the bug) and a commit that you know to be "bad" (i.e., it does contain the bug).
2.????Run the git bisect start command, which will start the bisect process.
3.????Run the git bisect good <good-commit-hash> command, which will tell Git that the specified commit is known to be good.
4.????Run the git bisect bad <bad-commit-hash> command, which will tell Git that the specified commit is known to be bad.
5.????Once you have set the good and bad commits, git bisect will automatically check out a commit from the repository's history that is roughly in the middle of the range of commits between the good and bad commits.
6.????At this point, you will need to test the code and determine if the bug is present or not, if the bug is present you will run git bisect bad if not git bisect good
7.????Repeat steps 5 and 6 until git bisect locates the commit that introduced the bug.
Once git bisect has identified the commit that introduced the bug, you can use the git bisect reset command to return to the original state of your repository, and then investigate and fix the bug.
It is worth noting that git bisect can be automated by using a script that can test the code and determine if the bug is present or not, this can save a lot of time if you have to test a lot of commits.
How can you use git bisect to determine the source of a (regression) bug?
git bisect can be used to determine the source of a (regression) bug by using a binary search algorithm to divide the history of commits into smaller and smaller segments until it locates the commit that introduced the bug. Here's an example of how you can use git bisect to locate the source of a regression bug:
1.????First, you will need to identify a commit in the repository's history that you know is good (i.e., it does not contain the bug) and a commit that is known to be bad (i.e., it does contain the bug).
2.????Run the command git bisect start, this will start the bisect process.
3.????Then use git bisect good <good commit hash> command, to specify the last commit that doesn't contain the bug, this commit is known as the good commit.
4.????Use git bisect bad <bad commit hash> command, to specify the commit that does contain the bug, this is known as the bad commit
5.????Once you have set the good and bad commits, git bisect will automatically check out a commit from the repository's history that is roughly in the middle of the range of commits between the good and bad commits.
6.????At this point, you will need to test the code and determine if the bug is present or not.
·????????If the bug is present, use git bisect bad command
·????????If the bug is not present, use git bisect good command
7.????Repeat steps 5 and 6 until git bisect locates the commit that introduced the bug.
Once git bisect has identified the commit that introduced the bug, you can use git bisect reset command to return to the original state of your repository, and then investigate and fix the bug.
How can you use git bisect to determine the source of a (regression) bug?
git bisect can be used to determine the source of a (regression) bug by using a binary search algorithm to divide the history of commits into smaller and smaller segments until it locates the commit that introduced the bug. Here's an example of how you can use git bisect to locate the source of a regression bug:
1.????First, you will need to identify a commit in the repository's history that you know is good (i.e., it does not contain the bug) and a commit that is known to be bad (i.e., it does contain the bug).
2.????Run the command git bisect start, this will start the bisect process.
3.????Then use git bisect good <good commit hash> command, to specify the last commit that doesn't contain the bug, this commit is known as the good commit.
4.????Use git bisect bad <bad commit hash> command, to specify the commit that does contain the bug, this is known as the bad commit
5.????Once you have set the good and bad commits, git bisect will automatically check out a commit from the repository's history that is roughly in the middle of the range of commits between the good and bad commits.
6.????At this point, you will need to test the code and determine if the bug is present or not.
·????????If the bug is present, use git bisect bad command
·????????If the bug is not present, use git bisect good command
7.????Repeat steps 5 and 6 until git bisect locates the commit that introduced the bug.
8.????Once git bisect has identified the commit that introduced the bug, you can use git bisect reset command to return to the original state of your repository, and then investigate and fix the bug.
What are the type of git hooks?
Git hooks are scripts that are run automatically by Git at certain points in the Git workflow. There are two types of Git hooks: client-side and server-side.
1.????Client-side hooks: These hooks are scripts that are executed on the client machine, before or after a certain Git command is run. They are stored in the .git/hooks directory in the local repository. Examples of client-side hooks include pre-commit hooks, post-commit hooks, pre-push hooks, and post-merge hooks.
2.????Server-side hooks: These hooks are scripts that are executed on the server, before or after certain Git commands are executed on the remote repository. They are stored in the hooks directory in the remote repository. Examples of server-side hooks include pre-receive hooks, update hooks and post-receive hooks.
Some common use cases for hooks include:
·????????Pre-commit: This hook is executed before a commit is created and can be used to check for code formatting issues, or to ensure that certain files are not being committed.
·????????Post-commit: This hook is executed after a commit is created and can be used for automatic tasks such as sending email notifications or updating other systems with the new version.
·????????Pre-receive/Update: This hook is executed on the remote repository before a new changeset is received and can be used to check that the changeset is allowed to be received, i.e. if it's authorized to be pushed
·????????Post-receive: This hook is executed on the remote repository after a new changeset is received and can be used to update external systems with the new version.
What are "git hooks"?
Git hooks are scripts that are automatically executed by Git at certain points in the Git workflow. They provide a way to customize and automate certain aspects of the Git process, such as pre- and post-commit checks, automated testing, or notifications.
Git hooks are scripts that are stored in the .git/hooks directory of a repository. They are executed on the client machine, before or after certain Git commands are run. They are typically written in a shell script, although you can use any script language as long as it can be executed on the client machine.
There are several types of Git hooks, each one is triggered by a specific event:
·????????pre-commit: This hook runs before you commit changes, you can use this hook to check for any issues before committing, i.e. code formatting, or running test cases.
·????????post-commit: This hook runs after you commit changes, you can use this hook to notify other people, or to update external systems with the new changes.
·????????pre-push: This hook runs before you push changes to a remote repository, you can use this hook to check for any issues before pushing changes, i.e. running test cases
·????????post-merge: This hook runs after you merge changes into the current branch, you can use this hook to notify other people or to update external systems with the new changes.
You can use git hooks to automate tasks like checking for code formatting, running tests or linting, sending notifications on commits, and many other tasks. They are particularly useful for enforcing development guidelines or automating repetitive tasks.
When do you use git rebase instead of git merge?
git rebase and git merge are both used to integrate changes from one branch into another, but they work in slightly different ways.
git merge creates a new merge commit that ties two branches together, preserving the entire branch history. This is useful when you want to preserve the entire branch history, especially in a public repository where other people might be interested in the branch's history.
On the other hand, git rebase is used to replay a series of commits from one branch on top of another. The result is a linear history where it appears as if the changes happened at once, and all the intermediate commits are "squashed" together. This can be useful when you want to make it clear that a feature was developed all at once and when you want to avoid a cluttered commit history.
A common use-case for rebase is when working with feature branches. You work on a feature branch and keep it updated with the development branch by using git rebase. This keeps the feature branch linear, and avoids creating multiple merge commits. Once the feature is complete, you can then merge it into the development branch.
Another use-case is when working on a topic branch that is branched off a long running development branch, you can use git rebase to keep your topic branch up-to-date and avoid merge commits.
It's worth noting that rebasing can cause issues if the branch you're rebasing has already been pushed and shared with others, as it changes the commit history and it can cause conflicts. Also, it's not recommended to use git rebase on a public branch that other people are working on.