📚 Advanced Git & GitHub Topics – Master Version Control Like a Pro
🧲 Introduction – Why Learn Advanced Git & GitHub?
Once you’re familiar with the basics of Git, it’s time to explore the powerful, lesser-known features that enhance team collaboration, workflow automation, and code quality. From custom aliases to advanced diffs and GitHub integrations, mastering these tools makes you a more efficient developer.
🎯 In this guide, you’ll explore:
- Advanced Git commands and their use cases
- How to optimize your workflow with GitHub tools
- Techniques to clean, analyze, and organize your repo like a pro
📘 Topics Covered
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Git Config | Customize your Git environment |
| Git Alias | Create shortcuts for long commands |
| Git Merge vs Rebase | Understand history rewriting vs non-linear merges |
| Git Cherry-pick | Apply commits from one branch to another |
| Git Stash | Save your work temporarily without committing |
| Git Diff | View changes between commits, branches, or files |
| Git Show | Display commit content and metadata |
| Git Blame | Find out who modified each line in a file |
| Git Fork vs Clone | Understand the difference between copying and forking |
| Git Hooks | Automate tasks like formatting or testing on commit |
| Git Submodules | Manage nested repositories |
| Git LFS | Store large files efficiently in Git |
| Git Fetch vs Pull | Learn the difference in syncing remote changes |
| Git Reflog | Recover lost commits and view all branch history |
| GitHub Personal Access Tokens | Securely authenticate with GitHub |
| GitHub Issues, Projects & Discussions | Manage tasks and team conversations on GitHub |
| Git Worktree | Work with multiple branches simultaneously |
| Git Clean, GC, and Prune | Clean up unnecessary files and optimize repo size |
🔧 Git Config
Use git config to set your identity and preferences.
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
⚡ Git Alias
Create shortcuts for commands.
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.co checkout
Now you can type git st instead of git status.
🔀 Git Merge vs Rebase
- Merge: Preserves history, creates a new commit.
- Rebase: Rewrites history, creates a linear sequence.
git merge feature-branch
git rebase main
🔍 Use merge for team collaboration, rebase for clean personal histories.
🍒 Git Cherry-pick
Copy specific commits from another branch.
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
📦 Git Stash
Temporarily save changes you’re not ready to commit.
git stash
git stash pop
🧾 Git Diff
Compare changes between files, branches, or commits.
git diff
git diff main feature
🧍 Git Show
Display commit content, diff, and metadata.
git show <commit-hash>
🔍 Git Blame
See who last edited each line in a file.
git blame filename.js
🧬 Git Fork vs Clone
- Fork: Copy repo to your GitHub account (great for contributions)
- Clone: Copy repo to local machine from any origin
🪝 Git Hooks – Automate Tasks
Git hooks automate checks on commit, push, etc.
# Example: Pre-commit hook
echo "npm test" > .git/hooks/pre-commit
chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit
🪢 Git Submodules
Include one repo inside another.
git submodule add https://github.com/user/lib.git path/to/lib
📁 Git LFS – Large File Support
Track large files (videos, models, etc.)
git lfs install
git lfs track "*.mp4"
🔄 Git Fetch vs Pull
- Fetch: Updates local references, doesn’t change working tree
- Pull: Combines fetch + merge/rebase
git fetch origin
git pull origin main
🧭 Git Reflog
Recover lost commits and navigate history.
git reflog
🔍 Use when a branch or commit was accidentally deleted.
🔑 GitHub Personal Access Tokens
Use tokens instead of passwords for CLI authentication.
- Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer Settings → Tokens
- Generate token with scopes like
repo,workflow - Use in CLI with HTTPS:
git clone https://<token>@github.com/user/repo.git
🗂️ GitHub Issues, Projects & Discussions
- Issues: Track bugs and tasks
- Projects: Kanban-style workflow boards
- Discussions: For Q&A, proposals, and ideas
🌳 Git Worktree
Work with multiple branches at once in separate folders.
git worktree add ../feature-branch feature-branch
🧹 Git Clean, GC, and Prune
git clean -fd: Remove untracked filesgit gc: Clean up unnecessary datagit prune: Delete unreachable objects
📌 Summary – Advanced Git & GitHub Topics
Advanced Git and GitHub topics empower developers to maintain clean histories, automate workflows, and recover from mistakes efficiently.
🔍 Key Takeaways:
- Use Git aliases and configs to save time
- Master merge, rebase, stash, and cherry-pick for smoother workflows
- GitHub features like Issues, Projects, and Tokens improve collaboration
- Tools like LFS, Hooks, and Submodules enhance project scalability
⚙️ Add these advanced techniques to your daily Git toolkit for professional development.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Advanced Git & GitHub Topics
❓ What is the difference between Git pull and fetch?
✅ fetch only downloads data; pull fetches and merges or rebases.
❓ How do I recover deleted commits in Git?
✅ Use git reflog to view and restore lost commits.
❓ Can I use Git without GitHub?
✅ Yes. Git is local-first. GitHub is a remote hosting platform.
❓ What are Git hooks used for?
✅ Automate tasks like linting or testing before commits or pushes.
❓ When should I use Git LFS?
✅ For files over 100MB or binary files like videos, datasets, and 3D assets.
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