trevnet.org/git-cheatsheet — Git Cheatsheet for Students

What Git is

Git is a version control system. It tracks file changes over time so you can see history, compare versions, work on features safely, and collaborate with other people without overwriting each other by accident.

Git vs. GitHub

Git

The tool on your computer that tracks versions and commits.

GitHub

A hosting service for Git repositories with pull requests, issues, and collaboration tools.

Why the difference matters

You can use Git without GitHub, but many classes and teams use GitHub to share repositories online.

Why students should learn Git

You can undo mistakes without guessing which copy of a file is the newest.
You can show your progress over time instead of turning in one giant last-minute upload.
You build habits that carry directly into internships, IT work, and software jobs.

Initial setup

Run these once on a new machine so your commits are labeled correctly.

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

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Creating or getting a repository

git init
git clone <repository-url>

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git init starts a new Git repository in the current folder.
git clone <repository-url> downloads an existing repository so you can work on it locally.

Checking status, adding files, and committing changes

git status
git add .
git commit -m "Describe what changed"
git log --oneline

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A good commit message explains what changed in plain language. Short is fine if it is specific.

Pushing and pulling

git pull
git push

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git pull gets the latest remote changes and brings them into your local branch.
git push sends your local commits to the remote repository.

Branching basics

git branch
git branch feature-page
git checkout feature-page

git switch -c feature-page

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Branches let you work on a feature without disturbing your main line of development.

Merging basics

git checkout main
git pull
git merge feature-page

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A merge brings work from one branch into another. If Git reports conflicts, stop and resolve them carefully instead of guessing which version should win.

Undoing simple mistakes

git restore filename.html
git restore --staged filename.html

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git restore filename.html discards local changes in that file.
git restore --staged filename.html unstages a file while keeping the working copy changes.

Do not use restore casually. Make sure you really want to throw away that change first.

Common Git workflow

Pull the latest changes.
Make changes.
Check status.
Add files.
Commit with a meaningful message.
Push changes.

git pull
git status
git add .
git commit -m "Describe what changed"
git push

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Common errors and what they mean

Message or problem	What it usually means
fatal: not a git repository	You are in the wrong folder, or Git has not been initialized there.
nothing to commit, working tree clean	There are no tracked changes waiting to be committed. Run `git status` and confirm what you expected to change.
Updates were rejected because the remote contains work that you do not have locally	Someone else pushed first. Run `git pull`, resolve any conflicts, then push again.
Merge conflict	Git could not combine two sets of edits automatically. Open the conflicted files and resolve them deliberately.

Quick reference

Task	Command
Check status	`git status`
Add all current changes	`git add .`
Create a commit	`git commit -m "Describe what changed"`
View short history	`git log --oneline`
Get remote changes	`git pull`
Send local commits	`git push`
Create and switch to a branch	`git switch -c feature-page`
Undo a local file change	`git restore filename.html`

Related pages

Vim, PowerShell, and Curl