Dev Workflow Cheat Sheet: The Git Commands You’ll Actually Use

This dev workflow cheat sheet covers the Git commands you’ll actually use day to day — the daily save-and-share loop, branching, pull requests, deploys, and the handful of “undo” commands that get you out of trouble. Bookmark it and skip the 40-tab search spiral.

The daily flow (the 4 you’ll use most)

Ninety percent of Git is these four commands, in this order: see what changed, stage it, save a snapshot, send it up.

git status                 # what's changed
git add .                  # stage all changes (or: git add <file>)
git commit -m "message"    # save a snapshot
git push                   # send commits to the remote

Branching

A branch is a safe, separate copy of your work, so you don’t touch the main code until it’s ready.

git checkout -b feature/thing   # create + switch to a new branch
git checkout main               # switch to an existing branch
git branch                      # list local branches
git branch -d feature/thing     # delete a merged branch
git branch -D feature/thing     # force-delete (unmerged)

Getting other people’s work

git pull            # fetch + merge remote into your current branch
git fetch           # download remote changes without merging
git pull --rebase   # replay your commits on top (cleaner history)

Merging

Merging brings one branch’s work into another.

git checkout main            # go to the branch you want to merge INTO
git merge feature/thing      # bring feature/thing in
# conflict? edit the files, then: git add <file> → git commit
git merge --abort            # bail out of a messy merge

Pull requests (PRs)

A pull request is a request to merge one branch into another, reviewed on GitHub or GitLab before it lands.

git push -u origin feature/thing   # push the branch, then open a PR in the web UI
gh pr create                       # open a PR from the terminal (GitHub CLI)
gh pr status                       # see your open PRs
gh pr merge                        # merge an approved PR

The typical lifecycle: branch → commit → push → open PR → review → merge → delete branch.

Deploying

Deploy steps vary by setup — it’s usually one of these:

git push origin main    # auto-deploy on push (Vercel, Netlify, Heroku)
vercel --prod           # manual deploy (Vercel)
npm run deploy          # project-specific script

Check your project’s README or CI config for the real command.

Undo & fix mistakes

The commands that get you out of trouble — worth memorizing before you need them.

git commit --amend        # edit the last commit (before pushing)
git reset --soft HEAD~1   # undo last commit, keep changes staged
git restore <file>        # discard unstaged changes to a file
git revert <commit>       # new commit that undoes an old one (safe)
git stash                 # shelve changes; git stash pop to bring them back

Common terms, in plain English

• origin — the default name for your remote repo
• HEAD — your current commit / position
• main (or master) — the primary branch
• conflict — the same lines changed two ways; you pick the winner
• CI — automated tests/builds that run on push or a PR