Git Glossary¶
Add: Staging changes to include them in the next commit.
Example: git add file.txt
Blame: Shows line-by-line changes for a file, including who made each change.
Example: git blame file.txt
Branch: Independently evolving versions of a project. The default branch is usually called master or main.
Example: Create a new branch with git branch feature-branch.
Checkout: Switching between different versions of files.
Example: git checkout feature-branch
Cherry-pick: Applying changes from a specific commit to a different branch.
Example: git cherry-pick commit_hash
Clone: Making a copy of a remote repository on your local machine.
Example: git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
Commit: A snapshot of your repository's changes at a specific point in time.
Example: git commit -m "Fixed bug"
Config: Configures Git settings.
Example: git config --global user.name "Your Name"
Diff: A display of changes between commits or branches.
Example: git diff
Fetch: Downloading changes from a remote repository without integrating them.
Example: git fetch origin
Fork: A personal copy of another user's repository.
Example: Fork a repo on GitHub via its interface.
Gitignore File: A file that tells Git which files or directories to ignore in a project.
Example: *.log in .gitignore ignores all .log files.
HEAD: A reference to the last commit in the current checked-out branch.
Example: HEAD typically points to the latest commit.
Index (Staging Area): A place where Git holds changes before they become a commit.
Example: Files added with git add go to the index.
Init: Creates a new Git repository.
Example: git init new-repo
Log: Displays the chronological commit history for a repository.
Example: git log
Merge: Integrating changes from one branch into another.
Example: git merge feature-branch
Merge Base: The most recent common ancestor of two branches.
Example: Found using git merge-base branch1 branch2
Merge Conflict: A disagreement between changes in different branches.
Example: Occurs during git merge and requires manual resolution.
Pull: Fetching changes from a remote repository and merging them into your local branch.
Example: git pull origin main
Pull Request (PR): A request to merge your changes into another branch, usually in a remote repository.
Example: Done via GitHub's interface after pushing a branch.
Push: Sending your local changes to a remote repository.
Example: git push origin main
Rebase: Sequentially applying changes from one branch to another.
Example: git rebase main
Remote: A version of your repository hosted on a network, used for sharing.
Example: List remotes with git remote -v.
Remote-tracking Branch: A reference to the state of branches in a remote repository.
Example: origin/main is a remote-tracking branch.
Repository (Repo): A database storing the history of all changes made to a project. It can be local (on your machine) or remote (like on GitHub).
Example: Initialize a new repository with git init.
Stash: Temporarily saving changes without committing them.
Example: git stash
Status: Displays the state of the working directory and staging area.
Example: git status
Submodule: Embedding a repository within another repository.
Example: Adding a submodule with git submodule add https://github.com/user/repo.git
Tag: Marking specific points in a repository’s history.
Example: git tag v1.0.0