If you a using git as a beginner, its important to type in full git commands to get a full understanding of what each command does.

However, after using git for a while, you might start seeking easier ways to type out those commands as they become part of your daily routine. Here comes git aliases to the rescue.

An ‘alias’ allows you to execute a given command using a pre-set string. This string acts as a shortcut to the original command. For example instead of typing git checkout -b <branch_name> to create a new branch, you can simple type git cob <branch_name>

There are two ways to setup aliases in git.

1. Using .gitconfig file.

This file is usually located at ~/.gitconfig. Open it and add an alias using the format below

[alias]
	<alias_name> = <command>
	<another_alias_name> = <another_commit>

2. Using the command line.

Simple type git config --global alias.<alias_name> <command> to create an alias from the command line. If the <command> has spaces in between, add a single quotes(for unix) or double quotes (for windows) around it. An example for unix git config --global alias.<another_alias_name> '<command with space>' This method actually adds the corresponding alias entry to the .gitconfig file.

Below is a list of some useful git aliases.

[alias]
	st = status
	ci = commit
	ciam = commit -am
	br = branch
	co = checkout
	cob = checkout -b
	df = diff
	dc = diff --cached
	lg = log
	lgp = log -p
	lgpr = log --graph --decorate --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit
	sl = shortlog -s --
	ls = ls-files

	# Show files ignored by git:
	ign = ls-files -o -i --exclude-standard

Now you can type less :).

  

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