Daily Git Workflow

Most developers do not use every Git command every day.

The daily loop is much smaller:

Check state -> edit files -> review changes -> stage -> commit -> push

The core commands

See what changed

git status

Use this often. It tells you which files are changed, staged, untracked, or ready to commit.

See exact code differences

git diff

This shows unstaged changes.

To see staged changes:

git diff --staged

Stage changes

git add file-name

Or stage everything:

git add .

Use git add . carefully. It is fine for small changes, but review git status first so you do not accidentally include secrets, logs, or unrelated files.

Commit changes

git commit -m "Add user login"

A commit should describe one meaningful change.

Good commit examples:

Add password reset endpoint
Fix duplicate email validation
Document Docker setup

Weak commit examples:

changes
fix
final
updated code

A normal feature flow

git status
git checkout -b add-login
# edit files
git diff
git add src/auth.js
git commit -m "Add login validation"
git push origin add-login

After this, you usually open a pull request on GitHub.

What to do before committing

Before every commit, ask:

• Did I review the diff?
• Is this one logical change?
• Did I accidentally include generated files?
• Did I accidentally include secrets?
• Does the commit message explain the change?

This habit prevents many Git problems.

Interview answer

My normal Git workflow is to check git status, review changes with git diff, stage selected files with git add, create a commit with a meaningful message, and push the branch to a remote. I try to keep commits focused so review and rollback are easier.