Git Commands Cheatsheet

Generate SSH Keys#

Generate SSH keys using the RSA algorithm.

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

After this command, two files will be generated in the following location by default: ~/.ssh/id_rsa:

id_rsa (your private key)
id_rsa.pub (your public key)

To copy the public key to clipboard, use the following command:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | pbcopy

Add or change Origin URL#

# Add a new Origin
git remote add origin <url>

# Change the existing Origin
git remote set-url origin <new-url>

# View existing origins
git remote -v

Cherry Pick#

cherry-pick is a command that allows you to pick a specific commit from one branch to another.

git cherry-pick <commit_hash>

Git Rebase#

rebase is a command that allows you to reapply commits on top of another base tip.

# Rebase commits from the current branch  on top of the selected branch
git rebase <branch_name>

# Enable interactive mode for more control
git rebase -i <branch_name>

# Continue the rebase process after resolving conflicts
git rebase --continue

# Abort the rebase process
git rebase --abort

Git Undo Last Commit#

# undo the commit but keep the changes staged
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# undo the commit and unstage the changes (recommended)
git reset HEAD~1

# completely discard the commit and all changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# use force push to push reverted commit
git push -f origin <branch-name>

Reset to a specific commit#

# Revert to a specific commit and keep the changes staged
git reset --soft <commit_hash>

# Revert to a specific commit and unstage the changes (recommended)
git reset <commit_hash>

# Revert to a specific commit and completely discard the commit and all changes
git reset --hard <commit_hash>

# Use force push to push reverted commit
git push -f origin <branch-name>

Revert a specific commit#

git revert is a command that undoes the changes from a specific commit by creating a new commit that reverses them.

The key thing to understand: it doesn't delete or rewrite history. Instead, it adds a new commit on top that cancels out whatever the target commit did.

# View commit history with 5 latest commits
git log --oneline -n 5

# Pull the latest changes from the remote repository
git pull origin <branch-name>

# Revert a specific commit 
git revert <commit_hash>

# Revert the last commit
git revert HEAD 

# Skips the commit message editor and uses the default message 
git revert <commit_hash> --no-edit

# Revert a specific commit without creating a new commit. 
# Changes will be in staged state and need to be committed manually.
# Use git status to check the changes.
git revert <commit_hash> --no-commit

# Abort the revert process
git revert --abort

# check the changes
git diff <commit_hash>

# Push the reverted commit
git push origin <branch-name>

Differences between revert and reset:

git revert: keeps history intact and adds a new commit. Safe to use on shared/public branches because you're not changing existing commits, just adding to them.
git reset: moves the branch pointer backward and can erase commits from history. Dangerous on shared branches because it rewrites what others may have already pulled.

The rule of thumb: use revert when the commit has already been pushed and shared with others; use reset only for local commits you haven't shared yet.

Revert merge request with a new merge request#

# 1. Get the merge commit hash
git log --oneline --merges

# 2. Make a new branch off the target branch (e.g. main)
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b revert-feature-x

# 3. Revert the merge commit — note the -m 1
git revert -m 1 <merge_commit_hash>

# 4. Push and open a new MR
git push origin revert-feature-x

-m 1 is used to specify the merge commit to revert.

A merge commit has two parents, so git can't guess which side to treat as "the version to keep."

-m 1 says "keep the first parent" — for a feature merged into main, the first parent is main, so this undoes the feature's changes while preserving main's line of history.