How files move between three areas in Git - Step-by-Step CLI Walkthrough

Introduction

When you work with files in Git, they move through three main areas: the working directory, the staging area, and the repository. This process helps you control which changes are saved and shared.

When you want to prepare specific changes before saving them permanently.

When you want to check which files are ready to be saved and which are still being worked on.

When you want to undo changes before saving them.

When you want to organize your work into small, clear steps.

When you want to share your changes with others after confirming they are ready.

Commands

This command shows the current state of your files: which are changed but not saved, which are staged and ready to be saved, and which are already saved in the repository.

Terminal

git status

Expected Output

On branch main



No commits yet



Untracked files:

  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)



	example.txt



nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)

This command moves the file 'example.txt' from the working directory to the staging area, marking it ready to be saved in the next commit.

Terminal

git add example.txt

Expected Output

No output (command runs silently)

Check again to see that 'example.txt' is now staged and ready to be saved.

Terminal

git status

Expected Output

On branch main



No commits yet



Changes to be committed:

  (use "git rm --cached <file>..." to unstage)



	new file:   example.txt

This command saves the staged changes permanently in the repository with a message describing the change.

Terminal

git commit -m "Add example.txt file"

Expected Output

[main (root-commit) abcdef1] Add example.txt file

 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 0 deletions(-)

 create mode 100644 example.txt

→

-m - Adds a commit message directly in the command

Finally, check that there are no changes left to save and the working directory is clean.

Terminal

git status

Expected Output

On branch main



nothing to commit, working tree clean

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else from this pattern, remember: files move from working directory to staging area with 'git add', then from staging area to repository with 'git commit'.

Common Mistakes

Trying to commit changes without adding them first

Git only saves changes that are staged; unstaged changes are ignored in the commit.

Use 'git add <file>' to stage changes before committing.

Assuming 'git add' saves changes permanently

'git add' only stages changes; they are not saved in the repository until you commit.

After 'git add', run 'git commit' to save changes permanently.

Not checking 'git status' to see file states

Without checking, you might miss which files are staged or unstaged, causing confusion.

Use 'git status' often to understand the current state of your files.

Summary

Use 'git add' to move files from the working directory to the staging area.

Use 'git commit' to save staged files permanently in the repository.

Use 'git status' to check the state of files in all three areas.