Git Commands for Beginners: The 7 You Need First

TL;DR: Learn a small set of Git commands for beginners first: check what changed, save a snapshot, and share it safely. You don't need every command, just the handful you'll type most weeks, plus one clean way to undo a mistake.

You edit one line in a group project, save the file, and your code editor lights up with red and green lines. Git wants you to decide what to keep. Panic is optional.

Git is a version tracker: it remembers snapshots of your work so you can compare, undo, and collaborate. Think of it as a save-history for a folder, not just one file. The commands below are the ones I'd teach before anything fancy.

Git Commands for Beginners: The 7 That Do the Real Work

Start here. These basic Git commands cover most daily work, whether you use GitHub, GitLab, or a company server (called a remote).

• git status: shows what you changed and what is ready to save. Run it before and after every other command.
• git add file.txt: picks changes for the next snapshot. The staging area is a holding tray; git add puts things on it.
• git commit -m "Fix login button": saves the staged changes as one snapshot with a short note. Write the note for your future self.
• git pull: downloads new work from the shared remote and combines it with yours. Do this before you start and before you push.
• git push: sends your saved snapshots to the remote so teammates can see them.
• git switch -c new-feature: creates a branch (a separate line of work) and moves you onto it. Use one for each risky change.
• git restore file.txt: throws away changes you haven't committed yet. It's the undo button for edits you want to drop.

If you remember only one habit, make it this: run git status constantly. It tells you where you are, like a map dot.

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