Question 1

What does git stash do and when should I use it?

Accepted Answer

Stashing takes your uncommitted changes, saves them aside, and returns the working tree to a clean state matching the last commit. The changes are not lost; they are stored on a stack you can reapply later.

The usual reason is needing a clean tree in the middle of unfinished work. Switching branches to review someone else's change, pulling updates that touch files you have edited, or checking whether a bug exists on the main branch all require the tree to be clean or nearly so.

Applying a stash comes in two forms and the difference matters. Popping applies it and removes it from the stack. Applying leaves it on the stack, which is safer when reapplying to a different branch, because a conflict during a pop can leave you in an awkward state with the stash already consumed.

Several things surprise people.

Untracked files are not stashed by default. A newly created file stays in the working tree, which is usually fine but can be confusing when it then conflicts with something on the branch you switch to. An option includes them explicitly.

Stashes are not tied to a branch. Popping applies wherever you are, which is sometimes what you want and sometimes produces a mess.

The stack is easy to forget. Stashes accumulate silently and are identified by index, so a stash from three weeks ago is easy to apply by accident. Listing them and giving each a message when stashing makes this manageable.

For anything you might want in more than a few hours, a work-in-progress commit on a branch is more durable and more visible than a stash. Stashing suits genuinely short interruptions.

Question 2

When should I use git rebase instead of git merge?

Accepted Answer

Both commands integrate work from one branch into another, and they differ in what happens to history. Merge records that two lines of development came together, creating a merge commit with two

Question 3

How does Git actually store your files?

Accepted Answer

As complete snapshots, not as differences — which is the single fact that makes Git's behaviour comprehensible, because almost every mental model imported from older version control systems is wrong

Question 4

What is the difference between git fetch and git pull?

Accepted Answer

Fetching downloads new commits from the remote and updates your remote-tracking references. It changes nothing about your working tree or your local branches. After fetching you know what has

Question 5

How do I undo the last commit in Git without losing my changes?

Accepted Answer

Which command you want depends on whether the commit has been pushed, because that decides whether rewriting history is safe. If the commit is still local, a soft reset to the previous commit is what

Question 6

What does detached HEAD mean in Git and how do I get out of it?

Accepted Answer

Normally HEAD is a pointer to a branch name, and that branch points to a commit. Committing moves the branch forward and HEAD follows along. A detached HEAD means HEAD points straight at a commit

Question 7

How do I remove a file containing secrets from Git history?

Accepted Answer

Start with the part people skip: if a credential was pushed anywhere others could read it, treat it as compromised and rotate it first. Rewriting history removes the file from the repository, but it

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