Git is a powerful tool that goes far beyond basic commands like git add, git commit, and git push. Once you're familiar with the basics, it's time to dive into more advanced commands that can optimize your workflow. In this post, we’ll explore 12 advanced Git commands every developer should know. ## Show Only My Commits with a Colorized Date Use this command to display only your commits with a nicely colorized date: ```bash git log --all --author="Your Name or Email" --pretty=format:"%C(yellow)%h %C(cyan)%ad%C(reset) | %s" --date=short ``` ## Show a Graph of Commits with Branches and Tags Visualizing your commit history is easy with this command: ```bash git log --graph --oneline --decorate --all ``` ## Find the Commit that Introduced a Bug with git bisect This command helps you find the specific commit that introduced a bug: ```bash git bisect start git bisect bad # Mark the current commit as bad git bisect good # Mark an earlier commit as good ``` This command runs through a series of tests to identify the problematic commit, which is highly useful in large projects.{" "} ## Interactive Rebase to Rewrite Commit History Need to clean up your commit history? Try an interactive rebase: ```bash git rebase -i HEAD~n ``` ## Stash Uncommitted Changes with a Message When you need to switch branches but don't want to lose your work, stash it: ```bash git stash push -m "Your stash message" ``` To retrieve it later, use: ```bash git stash apply ``` ## Cherry-pick a Specific Commit from Another Branch Pull a specific commit from a different branch with: ```bash git cherry-pick ``` ## Undo the Last Commit but Keep Changes Undo your last commit without losing your changes using: ```bash git reset --soft HEAD~1 ``` `--soft` resets the commit but leaves your changes staged, ready for you to amend `--soft` resets the commit but leaves your changes staged, ready for you to amend or recommit.{" "} ## Show What Files Have Changed Between Two Branches Easily compare the changes between branches: ```bash git diff branch1..branch2 --name-only ``` ## List All the Files That Changed in a Commit View the files modified in a specific commit: ```bash git diff-tree --no-commit-id --name-only -r ``` ## Squash Multiple Commits into One Simplify your commit history by squashing several commits into one: ```bash git rebase -i HEAD~n ``` In the interactive editor, replace pick with squash for the commits you want to combine. ## List Untracked Files Only If you want to see only the files not tracked by Git: ```bash git ls-files --others --exclude-standard ``` ## Clean Up Local Branches That Have Been Merged Get rid of merged branches in your local repo with this command: ```bash git branch --merged | grep -v "\*" | xargs -n 1 git branch -d ``` This command deletes all local branches that have already been merged into the current branch. It keeps your repository clean and organized. Conclusion These 12 advanced Git commands will enhance your Git workflow, helping you manage your projects more efficiently. From cleaning up branches to visualizing commit history, mastering these commands can save you significant time and effort. Start integrating these commands into your daily workflow for better project Start integrating these commands into your daily workflow for better project management and version control.{" "} Learn about Git workflows like GitFlow or Forking Workflow to further streamline your development process.{" "} By mastering advanced Git techniques, you'll improve your productivity and gain a deeper understanding of how to manage your codebase effectively.

12 Advanced Git Commands Every Developer Should Know