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| 41 | +<div class="meta"> |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | + <h1><span class="title">Modern Git for Modern Times</span></h1> |
| 44 | + <h3>October 17, 2025</h3> |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +</div> |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +<main> |
| 49 | +<p>Git has been around for a long time — since April 2005. That’s 20 years! |
| 50 | +Fun fact — <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Bazaar">Bazaar</a> and |
| 51 | +<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercurial">Mercurial</a> were released around the same time as Git. |
| 52 | +Not so fun facts — during this time |
| 53 | +<a href="https://www.atlassian.com/blog/bitbucket/sunsetting-mercurial-support-in-bitbucket">Atlassian removed the Mercurial support from Bitbucket</a> |
| 54 | +and <a href="https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/phasing-out-bazaar-code-hosting/62189">Canonical retired Bazaar altogether</a>. |
| 55 | +Meanwhile, GitHub and GitLab are alive and well — safe to say, Git is here to stay. |
| 56 | +In fact, we might see <a href="https://git-scm.com/docs/BreakingChanges#_git_3_0">Git 3.0</a> soon — a new version for the new decade.</p> |
| 57 | +<p>But what about new features? Surely there’s something useful for day-to-day workflows, right?</p> |
| 58 | +<h1 id="switch-branches">Switch Branches</h1> |
| 59 | +<p><code>git checkout</code> does the trick — but it’s much more than a branch switching tool. |
| 60 | +Take a look at <a href="https://git-scm.com/docs/git-checkout">the <code>man</code> page</a>:</p> |
| 61 | +<blockquote> |
| 62 | +<p>Updates files in the working tree to match the version in the index or the specified tree. |
| 63 | +If no pathspec was given, <code>git checkout</code> will also update <code>HEAD</code> to set the specified branch as the current branch.</p></blockquote> |
| 64 | +<p>Kinda a mouthful, right? |
| 65 | +<code>git switch</code> is an alternative with a more focused scope. |
| 66 | +Take a look at <a href="https://git-scm.com/docs/git-switch">the <code>man</code> page</a>:</p> |
| 67 | +<blockquote> |
| 68 | +<p>Switch to a specified branch. The working tree and the index are updated to match the branch. |
| 69 | +All new commits will be added to the tip of this branch.</p></blockquote> |
| 70 | +<p>Simple and straightforward! To switch a branch (FYI — it auto-tracks remote branches):</p> |
| 71 | +<div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console"><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="gp">$</span> git switch BRANCH |
| 72 | +</span></span></code></pre></div><p>To create and switch a branch in one go:</p> |
| 73 | +<div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console"><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="gp">$</span> git switch --create BRANCH |
| 74 | +</span></span></code></pre></div><blockquote> |
| 75 | +<p>ℹ️ <code>git switch</code> is experimental from <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.23.0.adoc">v2.23</a> (August 2019), |
| 76 | +stable from <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.51.0.adoc">v2.51</a> (August 2025).</p></blockquote> |
| 77 | +<h1 id="push-branches">Push Branches</h1> |
| 78 | +<p>Attempting to push a local branch results in a helpful message:</p> |
| 79 | +<div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console"><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="gp">$</span> git push BRANCH |
| 80 | +</span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="err"> |
| 81 | +</span></span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="err"></span><span class="go">fatal: The current branch BRANCH has no upstream branch. |
| 82 | +</span></span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="go">To push the current branch and set the remote as upstream, use |
| 83 | +</span></span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="go"></span><span class="err"> |
| 84 | +</span></span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="err"></span><span class="go"> git push --set-upstream origin BRANCH |
| 85 | +</span></span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="go"></span><span class="err"> |
| 86 | +</span></span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="err"></span><span class="go">To have this happen automatically for branches without a tracking |
| 87 | +</span></span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="go">upstream, see 'push.autoSetupRemote' in 'git help config'. |
| 88 | +</span></span></span></code></pre></div><p>Git advertising <a href="https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#Documentation/git-config.txt-pushautoSetupRemote">a new feature</a>? Amazing! |
| 89 | +Unfortunately, with all the noise these days, it’s easy to miss. |
| 90 | +It does work though — changing the config instructs Git to set upstream on its own:</p> |
| 91 | +<div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console"><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="gp">$</span> git config --global push.autoSetupRemote <span class="nb">true</span> |
| 92 | +</span></span></code></pre></div><blockquote> |
| 93 | +<p>ℹ️ <code>push.autoSetupRemote</code> is available from <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.37.0.adoc">v2.37</a> (June 2022).</p></blockquote> |
| 94 | +<h1 id="compare-changes">Compare Changes</h1> |
| 95 | +<p><code>git diff</code> is good, but it can be better — especilly when it comes to the <em>move</em> kind of changes.</p> |
| 96 | +<p>There is <a href="https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#Documentation/git-config.txt-diffcolorMoved">a diff option</a> for this, disabled by default:</p> |
| 97 | +<div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console"><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="gp">$</span> git config --global diff.colorMoved <span class="nb">true</span> |
| 98 | +</span></span></code></pre></div><p>When configured, the diff output uses different colors to highlight moved content — |
| 99 | +magenta (<code>tput</code> color #5) instead of red (#1) and cyan (#6) instead of green (#2). |
| 100 | +Additions and deletions keep their usual red and green colors.</p> |
| 101 | +<p>The option accepts <a href="https://git-scm.com/docs/git-diff#Documentation/git-diff.txt---color-movedmode">multiple modes</a>. |
| 102 | +<code>dimmed-zebra</code> might be a good one — it dims <em>moves</em>, which might be not super important most of the time.</p> |
| 103 | +<blockquote> |
| 104 | +<p>ℹ️ <code>diff.colorMoved</code> is available from <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.15.0.adoc">v2.15</a> (October 2017).</p></blockquote> |
| 105 | +<h1 id="restore-changes">Restore Changes</h1> |
| 106 | +<p>Restoring changes can be done with <code>git checkout</code> (as is switching branches and much more). |
| 107 | +Following the same idea behind <code>git switch</code>, <code>git restore</code> is a simpler alternative. |
| 108 | +Take a look at <a href="https://git-scm.com/docs/git-restore">the <code>man</code> page</a>:</p> |
| 109 | +<blockquote> |
| 110 | +<p>Restore specified paths in the working tree with some contents from a restore source. |
| 111 | +If a path is tracked but does not exist in the restore source, it will be removed to match the source.</p></blockquote> |
| 112 | +<p>To restore a file to its committed state:</p> |
| 113 | +<div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-console" data-lang="console"><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="gp">$</span> git restore PATH |
| 114 | +</span></span></code></pre></div><p>Also take a look at <code>--staged</code> and <code>--worktree</code> arguments when dealing with more complex scenarios.</p> |
| 115 | +<blockquote> |
| 116 | +<p>ℹ️ <code>git restore</code> is experimental from <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.23.0.adoc">v2.23</a> (August 2019), |
| 117 | +stable from <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.51.0.adoc">v2.51</a> (August 2025).</p></blockquote> |
| 118 | +<h1 id="whats-next">What’s Next?</h1> |
| 119 | +<p><a href="https://blog.gitbutler.com/how-git-core-devs-configure-git">The <em>How Core Git Developers Configure Git</em> article</a> |
| 120 | +from the GitButler folks is a great read — it explores which options might be worth to have enabled by default.</p> |
| 121 | +<p>New commands like <code>git switch</code> and <code>git restore</code> are easier for Git newbies to understand. |
| 122 | +Not everyone has been using Git for 15+ years and is familiar with all <code>git checkout</code> nuances.</p> |
| 123 | +<p>All in all, it’s amazing to see Git continue to grow and evolve. Here’s to the next 20 years!</p> |
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