Top 10 Git Commands Every Developer Uses Daily

You don't need to know every Git command — you need to know the right ones cold. Here are the 10 Git commands that show up in nearly every developer's day, with the flags and patterns that make them actually useful. 1. git status The command you run more than any other. git status git status -s # short format — one line per file -s gives you a compact view: M for modified, A for added, ? for untracked. Once you're comfortable reading it, you'll use it over the verbose default. Tip: Run git status before any git add or git commit . It saves you from staging files you didn't mean to. 2. git add Stages changes for your next commit. git add file.txt # stage a specific file git add src/ # stage everything in a directory git add -p # interactive: stage chunks, not whole files git add -p (patch mode) is the most underused flag here. It lets you review and selectively stage individual hunks within a file — essential when you've made two unrelated changes and want to commit them separately. 3.