4 Advanced Git Commands Every Developer Should Know

Git is much more than just add, commit, and push. It’s a powerful tool that gives developers complete control over their code history.
As projects grow and collaboration becomes more complex, understanding advanced Git commands can make the difference between frustration and fluency.

In this post, we’ll go through four advanced Git commands that every developer should know. They’ll help you temporarily save work, recover lost commits, clean up messy histories, and move changes between branches with precision.

1. git stash — Temporarily Save Your Unfinished Work

Imagine you’re working on a new feature when a teammate asks you to fix something urgent on another branch.
You don’t want to commit incomplete code just to switch branches — that would clutter your history.

git stash solves this by allowing you to save your current modifications temporarily, leaving your working directory clean.

Example:

git stash           # Save your uncommitted changes
git switch main     # Move to another branch
git stash pop       # Restore your work later

You can even name your stash for better organization:

git stash push -m "wip: navbar refactor"

Think of it as pressing a “pause” button for your code — you can return exactly where you left off, anytime.

2. git reflog — Recover Lost Commits

Have you ever deleted a branch or run git reset --hard and suddenly lost your work? It happens to everyone or almost hehe, but with git reflog, recovery is possible.

git reflog keeps a record of all actions performed in your local Git repository, even those not visible in git log.

Example:

git reflog
# Identify the lost commit
git checkout <commit_id>

This command is like a time machine — it tracks every move you make in Git, so you can always go back, even after catastrophic mistakes.

3. git rebase -i — Clean and Reorganize Your Commit History

A messy commit history can make your project difficult to understand and maintain. That’s where git rebase -i (interactive rebase) comes in. It allows you to reorganize, rename, squash, or remove commits before pushing your changes.

Example:

git rebase -i HEAD~4
# Options: "squash" (combine commits), "reword" (rename), "drop" (remove)

Tip: While merge creates a new commit combining branches, rebase rewrites the existing history — giving it a cleaner, linear flow.

Use it to prepare a tidy, professional commit history before opening a pull request.

4. git cherry-pick — Apply a Specific Commit to Another Branch

Sometimes you need just one specific commit from another branch — maybe a bug fix or a small feature — without merging everything else.

git cherry-pick lets you do exactly that by copying the desired commit and applying it to your current branch.

Example:

git checkout main
git cherry-pick <commit_id>

It’s like picking the perfect cherry from a tree — you take only what you need, without disturbing the rest of the branch.

Quick Recap