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Git Cheat Sheet

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Boost your Git proficiency effortlessly with this essential Git cheat sheet, designed to rescue you from command-related headaches and make you more confident with version control

Git is a distributed version control system widely used in software development to track changes, collaborate with teams, and manage codebases. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, this guide covers everything from basic Git operations to advanced features like GPG signing and rebasing.

Understanding KEY_ID in Git and GPG

When you work with GPG signing in Git, you’ll encounter the term KEY_ID.

  • A KEY_ID is a unique identifier for a GPG key.
  • It is used by Git to identify which key to use when signing commits or tags
  • You can find your key IDs by running:
gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long
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Example output:

/home/user/.gnupg/secring.gpg
------------------------------------
sec   rsa4096/4A3B5F8C2D12ABCD 2024-06-15 [SC]
    9FBC1234567890ABCDEF1234567890ABCDEF1234
uid                 [ultimate] John Doe <john@example.com>
ssb   rsa4096/8D12ABCD4A3B5F8C 2024-06-15 [E]
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  • In this example, the KEY_ID is:
4A3B5F8C2D12ABCD
  • You’ll use this ID when configuring Git:
git config --global user.signingkey 4A3B5F8C2D12ABCD

Git Command Reference

1. Initial Setup

Global Configuration

# Set your name for all repositories
git config --global user.name "[firstname lastname]"

# Set your email
git config --global user.email "[valid email]"

#Enable colorized output
git config --global color.ui auto
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Repository Setup

# Initialize a new repository
git init

# Clone an existing repository
git clone [url]
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2. Basic Operations

Status and Information

# Chek repository status
git status

# View commit history
git log

# Show changes in working directory
git diff

# Show staged chages
git diff --staged
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Basic Workflow

# Add files to staging area
git add [file]

# Remove files fom staging area
git reset [file]

# Commit staged changes
git commit -m "[descriptive message]"
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3. Branch Management

# List all branches
git branch

# Create a new branch
git branch [branch name]

# Create and swith to new branch
git checkout -b [branch-name]

# Switch to a branch
git checkout [branch-name]
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Merging

# Merge a branch into current branch
git merge [branch-name]

# Rebase current branch onto another
git rebase [branch]
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4. Remote Operation

Remote Setup

# Add a remote repository
git remote add [alias] [url]

# List remote repositories
git remote -v
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Syncing Changes

# Download changes without merging
git fetch [alias]

# Download and merge changes
git pull

# Upload local changes
git push [remote] [branch]
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5. Security and Verification

GPG Key Setup

# Check exisiting GPG keys
gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long

# Generate new GPG Key
gpg --full-generate-key  # Choose RSA and RSA, 4096 bits

# Export your public key
gpg --armor --export [KEY_ID]
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Git Signing Configuration

# Set signing key
git config --global user.signingkey [KEY_ID]

# Enable automatic commit signing
git config --global commit.gpgsign true

# Enable automatic tag signing
git config --global tag.gpgsign true
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Signing Operations

# Sign a commit manually
git commit -S -m "Your commit message"

# Sign a tag
git tag -s v1.0.0 -m "Version 1.0.0"

# Verify Signatures
git verify-commit HEAD
git verify-tag v1.0.0
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6. Temporary Storage

Stashing

# Save changes temporarily
git stash

# List stashed changes
git stash list

# Apply most recent stash
git stash pop

# Remove most recent stash
git stash drop
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7. History Modification

Changing History

# Modify last commit
git ommit --amend

# Reset to specific commit
git reset --hard [commit]

# Interactive rebase
git rebase -i [commit]
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8. Advanced Operations

Debugging

# Show commit that introduced a bug
git bisect start
git bisect bad
git bisect good [commit]

# Show file history
git blame [file]
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Maintenance

# Clean untracked files
git clean -fd

# Compress repository
git gc

# Check repository integrity
git fsck
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9. GPG Troubleshooting

Common Issues

#Test GPG signing
echo "test" | gpg --clearsign

# Restart GPG agent
gpgconf --kill gpg-agent
gpg-agent --daemon
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Key Management

# Export private key (backup)
gpg --export-secret-keys --armor [KEY_ID] > private.key

# Import private key
gpg --import private.key

# Update trust level
gpg --edit-key [KEY_ID]
# Type: trust
# Select: 5 (ultimate)
# Type: save
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Platform-Specific Setup

# macOS GPG setup
brew install gpg-suite

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:
export GPG_TTY=$(tty)
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Quick Recape:

  • KEY_ID is your GPG key identifier for signing commits and tags
  • Use gpg —list-secret-keys —keyid-format=long to find your key ID
  • Configure Git to use it with: 
    git config --global user.signingkey [KEY_ID]
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  • This improves security, accountability, and integrity in collaborative Git workflows.