Git Cheat Sheet

4.1 Commands You Use Every Day

Command	What it does
git status	See what files changed since last commit
git pull	Download latest from GitHub — run every morning
git add .	Stage all changed files for commit
git commit -m "type: message"	Save your work with a description
git push	Upload your commits to GitHub
git log --oneline	See recent commit history
git diff	See exactly what changed in each file

4.2 Commit Message Format

Format:  type: short description

feat: add pandas data cleaning for movies dataset
fix: correct null handling in pyspark loader
chore: update requirements.txt with new dependencies
docs: add README setup instructions
refactor: extract database connection to utils.py

4.3 Day-to-Day Git Workflow

You work on your own repository. Keep it simple:

Work on your code. Save often.
git add . && git commit -m "feat: describe what you built"
git push — push at the end of every session
Before a submission: check git log to confirm your latest work is pushed

Watch Out

Never commit credentials, passwords, or database connection strings.

Add a .gitignore that excludes .env, __pycache__, *.pyc, .venv/, and .dbt/.

If you commit a secret by accident: tell your instructor immediately.