March 4, 2025

Git: One-Stop Solution for Amending Commits, Rebasing, and Best Practices

Git is an essential tool for developers, but it can sometimes be confusing, especially for beginners or those new to advanced workflows like amending commits, rebasing, and handling SSH authentication. This guide will help you understand Git in a way that even a 10-year-old or a seasoned developer can follow. By the end, you'll have a future-ready workflow for handling Git like a pro.

1️⃣ Understanding Git Simply

Think of Git like a time machine for your code. Every time you save changes (commit), you're creating a snapshot of your project. If something goes wrong, you can travel back in time and restore your project. Cool, right? 🚀

2️⃣ Amending a Commit (Fixing a Mistake 🛠️)

Sometimes, you commit a change and realize, "Oops! I forgot to add a file" or "I need to tweak my message." Instead of creating a new commit, you can amend the last one:

git commit --amend

If you just want to add new changes without modifying the commit message:

git commit --amend --no-edit

🔴 Warning: If you've already pushed the commit, you need to force push:

git push --force

Use this only when working alone or after notifying your team. Otherwise, it can rewrite history and mess up others’ work.

3️⃣ Rebasing (Keeping History Clean 📜)

Rebasing is like cleaning up your code's history before sharing it with others. Instead of showing every small step, it makes your changes look like they were made in an organized way.

✨ How to Rebase Interactively:

git rebase -i HEAD~N

🔹 Replace N with the number of commits you want to modify. 🔹 Options you’ll see:

  • pick → Keep commit as it is.
  • reword → Change commit message.
  • edit → Modify the commit’s content.
  • squash → Merge commits into the previous one.
  • drop → Remove commit.

🤔 When to Use Rebase vs Merge?

  • Rebase (Good for personal branches, keeps history clean)
  • Merge (Good for shared branches, keeps commit history intact)

To rebase onto main:

git checkout feature-branch
git rebase main

If there are conflicts:

git rebase --continue

4️⃣ Setting Up SSH for Secure Git Access 🔐

Using SSH lets you push and pull code securely without typing passwords every time.

✅ Steps to Set Up SSH:

  1. Check if SSH keys already exist: 
    ls -al ~/.ssh
  2. Generate a new SSH key (if needed): 
    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"
  3. Add SSH key to agent: 
    eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa
  4. Copy the SSH key and add it to GitHub/GitLab: 
    cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
  5. Test the SSH connection: 
    ssh -T git@github.com
    If successful, you should see: 
    Hi <username>! You've successfully authenticated.

5️⃣ Must-Know Git Cheat Sheet 📜

📌 Essential Git Commands

git clone <repo_url>   # Copy a repository to your machine
git status             # Check status of files
git add .              # Add all files to staging
git commit -m "Message" # Commit changes
git push origin <branch> # Push changes

⏪ Undo Mistakes

git reset --soft HEAD~1  # Undo last commit, keep changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1  # Undo last commit, discard changes
git checkout -- .        # Discard uncommitted changes

🔀 Branch Management

git branch <new-branch>  # Create new branch
git checkout <branch>    # Switch branch
git merge <branch>       # Merge branches

💾 Stashing (Temporary Save)

git stash                # Save changes temporarily
git stash pop            # Restore saved changes

📜 View Logs

git log --oneline --graph --decorate --all

6️⃣ Best Practices for a Future-Ready Git Workflow 🏆

✅ Write Meaningful Commit Messages

  • BAD: fixed bug
  • GOOD: Fixed login issue causing incorrect redirection

✅ Commit Only What’s Necessary

  • Avoid committing .env, node_modules/, or .DS_Store

✅ Use Branches for Features and Fixes

  • Keep main stable, work on feature-xyz branches

✅ Rebase Before Merging to Keep History Clean

git rebase main

✅ Use git pull --rebase Instead of git pull

  • Avoids unnecessary merge commits

✅ Use git push --force-with-lease Instead of git push --force

  • Prevents accidental overwrites by checking if someone else pushed first

✅ Tag Releases for Easier Debugging

git tag -a v1.0 -m "Release version 1.0"
git push origin v1.0

✅ Set Up .gitignore to Avoid Unwanted Files

echo "node_modules/" >> .gitignore
git rm -r --cached node_modules/

✅ Regularly Prune Old Branches

git branch -d old-branch

✅ Automate Git Hooks for Code Formatting & Security Checks

cp pre-commit .git/hooks/
chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit

🎯 Conclusion

Git doesn’t have to be intimidating! With these best practices, cheats, and SSH setup, you now have a future-ready workflow that will make your life easier as a developer. 🚀

🔹 Keep your commits clean. 🔹 Use branches wisely. 🔹 Secure your repo with SSH. 🔹 Automate where possible.

Happy coding! 🎉

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