homelab/start-here-docs/GIT-QUICK-REFERENCE.md

Git Quick Reference Card

Essential Locations

What	Path
WSL2 Terminal	cd /home/jramos/homelab
Windows Explorer	\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\jramos\homelab
Git Repository	/home/jramos/homelab/.git/

Daily Commands

Check What's Changed

cd /home/jramos/homelab
git status              # Show changed files
git diff                # Show exact changes

Commit Your Changes

git add .                           # Stage all changes
git commit -m "Description here"    # Commit with message

View History

git log                 # Detailed history
git log --oneline       # Compact history
git log -5              # Last 5 commits

Emergency Commands

Undo Changes (Not Yet Committed)

git checkout -- filename.sh    # Undo changes to one file
git checkout -- .              # Undo all changes (CAREFUL!)

Undo Last Commit (Keep Changes)

git reset --soft HEAD~1        # Undo commit, keep changes staged
git reset HEAD~1               # Undo commit, keep changes unstaged

See What a Commit Changed

git show <commit-hash>         # Show changes in specific commit
git show HEAD                  # Show changes in last commit

First-Time Setup

Configure Git Identity

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

Make First Commit

cd /home/jramos/homelab
./git-first-commit.sh          # Use helper script

File Status Guide

Status	Meaning	What To Do
Untracked	New file, not in git	git add filename
Modified	Changed since last commit	git add filename
Staged	Ready to commit	git commit -m "message"
Committed	Saved in history	Nothing (it's saved!)

Common Workflows

After Editing Files

1. git status              # See what changed
2. git diff                # Review changes
3. git add .               # Stage everything
4. git commit -m "msg"     # Save changes
5. git log --oneline -3    # Verify commit

Before Major Changes

1. git status              # Check for uncommitted changes
2. git add .               # Stage current work
3. git commit -m "Checkpoint before changes"
4. # Now make risky changes
5. # If it breaks: git checkout -- .

Review File History

git log --oneline filename.sh          # See commits for file
git log --follow filename.sh           # Include renames
git show <hash>:filename.sh            # Show old version

Common Mistakes & Fixes

"I Committed the Wrong Thing"

git reset --soft HEAD~1    # Undo commit, keep changes
# Fix what you need to fix
git add .
git commit -m "Correct message"

"I Deleted a File by Accident"

git checkout -- filename.sh        # Restore from last commit

"I Want to See Old Version of File"

git log --oneline filename.sh      # Find commit hash
git show <hash>:filename.sh        # View old version
git checkout <hash> -- filename.sh # Restore old version

"Git is Asking for Username/Password"

You're trying to push/pull from a remote that doesn't exist yet. If you just want local version control, ignore this.

What NOT to Commit

Already configured in .gitignore:

• .env (contains secrets)
• *.iso, *.qcow2 (too large)
• *.tar.gz (compressed archives)
• *.log (log files)
• secrets/ (sensitive data)
• homelab-export-*/ (exports)

Helpful Aliases (Optional)

Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

alias gs='git status'
alias ga='git add'
alias gc='git commit -m'
alias gl='git log --oneline'
alias gd='git diff'
alias ghome='cd /home/jramos/homelab'

Then reload: source ~/.bashrc

Quick Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"not a git repository"	cd /home/jramos/homelab
"chmod failed"	You're in /mnt/c/... instead of /home/...
"nothing to commit"	No changes made since last commit
"Please tell me who you are"	Set user.name and user.email

Help Commands

git help                # General help
git help commit         # Help for specific command
git status              # Usually suggests what to do next

Remember

1. Commit early, commit often
2. Write meaningful commit messages
3. Review with git status and git diff before committing
4. Never commit .env or secrets
5. Git is forgiving—you can almost always undo mistakes

Quick Workflow Reminder

Edit files → git status → git diff → git add . → git commit -m "message"

That's 95% of what you'll use daily.

---

For detailed explanations: See GIT-SETUP-GUIDE.md For your first commit: Run ./git-first-commit.sh