Git

• Distributed version control system

• Bookkeeping subdirectory: .git for top-level directory
• Useful for tracking project history (rather than file history, as with CVS)
• More powerful than SVN; not as easy to use
• Does not use a centralized server
• Every Git working directory is a full-fledged repository
• Stores snapshots of the repository instead of commits or changesets
• Known for easy and cheap branching and merging

• GitHub (free hosting of open-source projects)
• Sourceforge (offers free Git hosting as well)

Editing files

Checkout a file

git checkout [-f] <path>            # -f: force

Identify which working files have changed

cd <working-dir>
git status

Show all changes to working files

cd <working-dir>
git diff
git diff [-r<rev>] <path>

Check-in a file

git commit [-a] [-m <message>]      # -a: automatically stage all modified files

Resolving conflicts

Create a patch

git format-patch

Apply patch

git apply

Clean unknown files

git clean

Modifying the repository

Create or reinitialize a repository

cd <dir>
git init

Add all files in a directory tree

git add <dir>

Add a file

git add <file>

Remove a file

git rm [-f] <file>                  # -f: force

Rename/copy/move a file

git mv [-f] <file>                  # -f: force

Administrative commands

Create a copy of a repository

git clone <source>

List/create/delete branches

git branch

Merge

git merge
 

Resources

• Git home page
• Git Quick Reference

Sources

• http://git-scm.com/ - Git home page
• http://jonas.nitro.dk/git/quick-reference.html - Git Quick Reference
• http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/v1.0.13/cvs-migration.html - Git for CVS users
• http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/v1.0.13/tutorial.html - A short Git tutorial