2020-08-27 16:42:32 +02:00
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title: "Git Basics"
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date: 2020-08-27T16:22:07+02:00
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draft: false # I don't care for draft mode, git has branches for that
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description: ""
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tags:
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- git
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- cli
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categories:
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- programming
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series:
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- Git basics
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favorite: false
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---
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[Git][git] is a distributed version control system. Originally written by
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[Linus Torvalds][linus] to be used with the development of the [Linux
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kernel][kernel], it has now become the go-to way to share work between multiple
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developers.
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In this article I will summarise what I feel to be the *next-step
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basics* of `git`, explaining each notion along the way.
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[git]: https://git-scm.com/
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[linus]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds
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[kernel]: https://www.kernel.org/linux.html
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<!--more-->
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I assume at least passing knowledge of `git`, and will therefore skip the
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justifications for using `git` instead of flinging tarballs at one another.
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I will also be skipping the explanation for the basic workflow of `git add`,
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`git commit`, and `git push`. You can consider this guide to be aimed at 3rd
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year students at EPITA, who have used `git` for a whole year to submit their
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project but have not explored some of its more powerful features.
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## Branches and references
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* Branches and merges
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* Decentralised
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* Merges are easy (assuming no conflicts)
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* What HEAD is
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* Why guillotine
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* What ARE references anyway
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* Relative references and other shortcuts
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## History manipulation
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* Cherry-picking
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* Easy to do
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* Most likely not what you want
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* CONFLICTS
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* The power of the rebase, Luke
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* Work on your own
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* Commit early, commit often
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* Clean-up merge requests
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2020-08-27 17:21:39 +02:00
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* Lost? Here's a map
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* History manipulation can lose commits and other work
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* `reflog` can help you find it again
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## Tips and tricks
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Here are some basic pieces of knowledge which don't really belong to any other
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section, which I think needs to be said.
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### The importance of small commits
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* Small commits
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* Why they're useful
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* Blame
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* Revert
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* Review & scope
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* `git add -p`
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* Stubborn rebase
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* Example from `42sh`
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* `git rerere`
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* Splitting a file with `blame` history
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* Give attribution to `Old New Thing`
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* Binary search for a regression
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* `bissect`
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2020-08-27 16:42:32 +02:00
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2020-08-27 17:11:47 +02:00
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## Going further
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I advise you to check out [Learn git branching][learn-branching] to practice a
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few of the notions I just wrote about, with a nice visualization of the commit
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graph to explain what you are doing along the way.
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Furthermore, the [Pro Git book][pro-git] is available online for free, and
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contains a lot of great content. You can read it whole, but I especially
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recommend checking out chapter 7 (*Git Tools*) and chapter 8 (*Git
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Configuration*). If you want to learn about the inner workings of `git` and how
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it stores the repository on your hard-drive, checkout chapter 10 (*Git
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Internals*).
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2020-08-27 16:42:32 +02:00
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[learn-branching]: https://learngitbranching.js.org/
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2020-08-27 17:11:47 +02:00
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[pro-git]: https://www.git-scm.com/book/en/v2
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