Worktrees vs stashing decision in Git - Hands-On Comparison

Worktrees vs Stashing Decision

📖 Scenario: You are working on a software project using Git. You have some changes in your current branch but need to switch to another branch to work on a different task. You want to decide whether to use Git worktrees or Git stash to manage your changes without losing work.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to create a Git worktree and how to stash changes, so you can switch branches safely and continue working without losing your current changes.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a Git worktree for a new branch

Create a stash of current changes

Apply the stash after switching branches

Display the current status after each operation

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Developers often need to switch tasks quickly without losing unfinished work. Using worktrees or stashing helps manage changes safely.

💼 Career

Knowing when to use Git worktrees or stash is important for efficient version control and collaboration in software development teams.

1

Create a Git worktree for a new branch

Use the command git worktree add ../feature-branch feature to create a new worktree in the folder ../feature-branch for the branch named feature.

Git

# Use git worktree add ../feature-branch feature to create a new worktree
# Your code here

Need a hint?

This command creates a new folder with the branch checked out so you can work on it separately.

2

Create a stash of current changes

Use the command git stash push -m "WIP changes" to save your current changes in a stash with the message "WIP changes".

Git

git worktree add ../feature-branch feature
# Use git stash push -m "WIP changes" to save current changes
# Your code here

Need a hint?

This command saves your changes safely so you can switch branches without losing work.

3

Apply the stash after switching branches

Use the commands git checkout feature to switch to the feature branch, then git stash pop to apply the saved changes from the stash.

Git

git worktree add ../feature-branch feature
git stash push -m "WIP changes"
# Use git checkout feature to switch branch
# Then use git stash pop to apply changes
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Switch to the feature branch and then restore your saved changes from the stash.

4

Display the current status after each operation

Use the command git status to show the current state of your working directory and staging area.

Git

git worktree add ../feature-branch feature
git stash push -m "WIP changes"
git checkout feature
git stash pop
# Use git status to display current status
# Your code here

Need a hint?

This command helps you see what files are changed, staged, or untracked.