How to See Changes in Git: Commands and Examples

To see changes in Git, use git status to view modified files and git diff to see line-by-line changes. For committed changes, use git log to review the history.

Syntax

Here are the main commands to see changes in Git:

• git status: Shows which files have changed but are not yet committed.
• git diff: Shows the exact line changes in files that are not staged.
• git diff --staged: Shows changes that are staged for the next commit.
• git log: Shows the commit history with details.

bash

git status
git diff
git diff --staged
git log

Example

This example shows how to check changes after editing a file named app.txt:

bash

echo "Hello" > app.txt
# Edit app.txt to add a new line
git status
git diff
git add app.txt
git diff --staged
git commit -m "Update app.txt"
git log -1

Output

On branch main
Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
	modified:   app.txt

--- a/app.txt
+++ b/app.txt
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 Hello
+New line added

Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
	modified:   app.txt

[main abc1234] Update app.txt
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
commit abc1234def5678901234567890abcdef1234567 (HEAD -> main)
Author: Your Name <[e-mail]>
Date:   Thu Jun 1 12:00:00 2024 +0000

    Update app.txt

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when checking changes in Git include:

• Not staging changes before using git diff --staged, which shows nothing if no files are staged.
• Confusing git diff output with committed history; use git log for commits.
• Ignoring untracked files that git status shows but git diff does not.

bash

git diff --staged
# No output if nothing staged

# Correct way:
git add file.txt
git diff --staged

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
git status	Show changed and untracked files
git diff	Show unstaged changes line-by-line
git diff --staged	Show staged changes line-by-line
git log	Show commit history

Key Takeaways

Use git status to quickly see which files have changed.

Use git diff to view detailed line changes before committing.

Stage files with git add to include them in the next commit.

Use git diff --staged to see what is staged for commit.

Use git log to review past commits and their messages.