Unlocking the Power of Lesser-Known Git Commands: A Guide for Developers
David Raja
Architect @ Persistent System | Ruby on Rails Tech Lead | AWS Certified | PG-AI&ML| Problem-Solving Enthusiast | Transforming Ideas into Scalable Solutions
You know that feeling when Git saves your project’s life? Yeah, we’ve all been there. But guess what? Git has even more tricks up its sleeve than just git commit and git push. Prepare to level up your Git game with these lesser-known commands that could seriously improve your workflow, make debugging a breeze, and keep you out of merge hell! Let’s dive deep into these hidden gems, with a bit of humor and some real-world examples that will make your life easier.
1. Git Bisect: Hunt Down Bugs Like a Pro
What It Does:
git bisect is like a detective for bugs. Instead of pulling your hair out over which commit broke your app, Git will use a binary search to pinpoint the culprit.
How to Use It:
git bisect start
2. Tell Git the current commit is bad:
git bisect bad
3. Provide a commit that you know is good
git bisect good <commit-hash>
4. Git will now guide you through the commits. After testing, you mark them as good or bad:
git bisect good
git bisect bad
Why You’ll Love It:
It’s like playing Whodunit with your codebase—without breaking a sweat.
2. Git Cherry-Pick: Pick What You Love, Leave the Rest
What It Does:
git cherry-pick lets you apply a specific commit from one branch to another without getting the entire branch. Imagine snatching that one change you need while ignoring the rest of the mess.
How to Use It:
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
Why You’ll Love It:
No need to deal with unwanted merges—just take the good stuff!
3. Git Reflog: Your Personal Git Time Machine
What It Does:
Ever felt like you lost a commit to the abyss? Fear not! git reflog tracks everything. Even if you messed up with a reset, your commits are safe in the reflog.
How to Use It:
git reflog
Once you find the commit, you can retrieve it with:
git checkout <commit-hash>
Why You’ll Love It:
It’s like Git’s undo button that always has your back
4. Git Blame: Pointing Fingers (For Good Reason!)
What It Does:
git blame shows who touched each line of code and when. Perfect for those "Who wrote this?" moments (but, you know, in a constructive way).
How to Use It:
git blame <file>
Why You’ll Love It:
Because nothing beats finding out that you were the one who introduced that bug. Again.
5. Git Worktree: The Multitasker's Dream
What It Does:
git worktree lets you check out multiple branches simultaneously. No more switching branches or stashing changes.
How to Use It:
git worktree add ../new-feature-branch feature-branch
Why You’ll Love It:
Because life’s too short to be switching branches all day.
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6. Git Rerere: Avoid Conflict Déjà Vu
What It Does:
If you’ve resolved a merge conflict once, git rerere will remember that solution for the next time you run into it.
How to Use It:
Enable it:
git config --global rerere.enabled true
Why You’ll Love It:
No more redoing the same conflict resolution over and over. Git’s got you covered.
7. Git Clean: Marie Kondo for Your Code
What It Does:
git clean wipes out untracked files that are cluttering your working directory. Perfect for cleaning up after a botched experiment.
How to Use It:
git clean -fdx
Why You’ll Love It:
Because clutter doesn’t spark joy.
8. Git Shortlog: Brag About Your Commits
What It Does:
git shortlog gives you a neat summary of contributions, grouping commits by author.
How to Use It:
git shortlog -s -n
Why You’ll Love It:
It’s the closest thing to a Git leaderboard—perfect for showing off (or giving credit where it's due).
9. Git Stash: Stash It, Don’t Trash It
What It Does:
Need to switch branches but don’t want to commit yet? git stash temporarily shelves your changes.
How to Use It:
git stash push -m "WIP: Refactoring code"
To get them back:
git stash apply
Why You’ll Love It:
Because sometimes you just need to pause the mess and tackle an urgent bug.
10. Git Commit --fixup: Because We All Make Mistakes
What It Does:
git commit --fixup helps you mark a commit for fixing a previous commit, which can then be squashed during rebase.
How to Use It:
git commit --fixup <commit-hash>
Squash it with:
git rebase -i --autosquash
Why You’ll Love It:
Keeps your commit history tidy, even when you need to clean up mistakes.
Conclusion: Git Smarter, Not Harder
These Git commands are your new secret weapons. Use them to debug faster, clean up smarter, and manage your branches like a pro. By mastering these lesser-known commands, you’ll be the Git ninja your team didn’t know they needed—but will definitely appreciate. Keep calm and Git on!
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