How to Use Git Aliases to Speed up Development

Git aliases keep you in the zone

Git aliases turns clunky terminal tasks into quick, two or three letter shortcuts that keep you in the zone.

As a general rule, I create an alias for an action I use frequently, and I try not to create an alias for destructive/deletion or complex actions; things I want to manage carefully.

To use these, add them to your global .gitconfig file, then you can access them in the terminal for any project. Remember you will still need to type “git” in order to run an alias.

These are my go-to favorites for saving time and keeping things organized (there’s even one for editing the global gitconfig file in your IDE):

[user]
name = First Last
email = hello@email.com
[credential]
helper = store
[alias]
    cam = commit -am
    cfg = config --list
    co = checkout
    cb = checkout -b
    cdf = clean -df
    cge = config --global --edit
    cgl = config --global --list
    ccd = clean -n -d
    st = status
    cim = commit -m
    clr = reset --hard
    cp = cherry-pick
    cxd = clean -xfd
    br = branch
    df = diff
    diff-changes = diff --name-status -r
    gmm = merge main
    gdm = diff --name-only main...
    gss = stash show -p
    last = log -1 HEAD --stat
    rba = branch -r
    rod = push origin --delete
    rpb = push --set-upstream origin
    rfp = fetch --prune
    sw = switch
    undo = reset HEAD~1 --mixed
    unstage = reset HEAD --
    staged = diff --cached
    unstaged = diff
    both = diff HEAD
    amend = commit --amend
    lg = log --graph --pretty=format:'%D(auto) %Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr)%Creset' --abbrev-commit --date=relative
ll = log --oneline
    lol = log --graph --decorate --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit
    # lol = log --graph --decorate --pretty=format:'%C(auto)%h %C(red)%as %C(blue)%aN%C(auto)%d%C(green) %s'
    lola = log --graph --decorate --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit --all
    lon = log --name-only
    ls = ls-files
    structure = log --graph --pretty=format:'%h %s' --abbrev-commit --date=relative --name-only
    slog = log --pretty=format:'%D %C(auto)%h %C(red)%as %C(blue)%aN%C(auto)%d%C(green) %s'
    # put = push origin HEAD
    # track = !git-trackw
    # thanks = !git-thanks
    # workdir = !git-new-workdir
    # up = !git pull --rebase && git push
    # ignored = "!git ls-files --others --exclude-standard"
    # nb = checkout -b
    # pending = !git --no-pager log origin/master..master && echo
    # db = !sh -c 'git branch -D "$0" && git push origin ":$0"' &> /dev/null
    # missing = !sh -c 'git cherry "$0" | cut -sd + -f 2 | xargs "git show"'
    # lc = log ORIG_HEAD.. --stat --no-merges
    # conflicts = !git ls-files --unmerged | cut -c51- | sort -u | xargs $EDITOR
    # resolve = !git ls-files --unmerged | cut -c51- | sort -u | xargs git add
    # subadd = !sh -c 'git submodule add $(git config -f"$0".git/config remote.origin.url) "$0"'

[color]

    diff = auto
    status = auto
    branch = auto
    interactive = auto
    ui = auto

[color "branch"]

    current = green
    local = magenta
    remote = cyan

[color "diff"]

    whitespace = red reverse
    meta = yellow bold
    frag = magenta
    old = red
    new = green

[color "status"]

    added = green
    changed = yellow
    untracked = cyan

[format]

    #numbered = auto

[push]

    #default = tracking
[core]
editor = code --wait