Software development often involves juggling multiple tasks, switching between branches, and addressing unexpected issues. This dynamic workflow can lead to a situation where you have changes in one branch and need to switch to another quickly. Git stash is a valuable tool in such scenarios. It allows you to temporarily save your changes without committing them, making it easier to switch branches and come back to your work later. In this article, we’ll explore how to effectively use Git stash, including creating, listing, and retrieving stashed changes.

How to Use Git Stash: Creating a Stash

To create a stash, you can use the git stash command when you have unfinished changes that you don’t want to commit immediately. Let’s consider an example where you have no changes initially in the index.html and styles.css files.


At some point, you decide to add an index.css file and make changes to the index.html.


If you check the status of the current branch using git status, you will see which files are untracked, staged, or unstaged.

$ git status

To stash these changes, use the git stash command:

$ git stash

The git stash command will stash changes made to the index.html file and revert it back to its initial state as if no changes were made.


However, the index.css file was not stashed. This is because git stash only stashes modified tracked files. To stash changes made to the index.css file, you need to stage it using the git add command.

$ git add index.css

Verify that index.css was staged:

$ git status

Since the index.css file is now staged, you can stash it using git stash:

$ git stash

Notice how the index.css file disappears from the root folder of the repository, indicating that it has been successfully stashed.


Here is another detailed blog discussing how to move commit to another branch in Git, providing comprehensive explanations and step-by-step instructions on efficiently transferring commits between branches within a Git repository.

List Git Stashes

To view the list of Git stashes, use the git stash list command:

$ git stash list

This command will display all the stashed changes in the repository.


Git maintains stashes in a stack, with the latest stash at the top, identified as index 0 (stash@{0}). This stack-based approach is essential when using other stash-related functions, such as apply and pop, to retrieve stashes.

Apply Stashed Changes

Learning how to stash changes is only half the battle; you also need to know how to apply those stashed changes. To apply stashed changes, you can use the apply option to apply the last stash (stash@{0}) in the stash stack:

$ git stash apply

If your latest stashed changes included adding an index.css file and modifying the index.html file, these changes will be re-applied to your working directory.

Now that you’ve learned how to create stashes, list them, and apply them, you have a solid foundation for managing your work efficiently with Git stash.

Stay tuned for more advanced stash management techniques, such as naming and retrieving stashes by name, which we’ll explore in the next section of this article.

Here is another detailed blog exploring the process of Unstaging Files in Git, providing thorough explanations and practical strategies for efficiently managing staged changes within Git repositories.

Conclusion

Git stash is a valuable tool for software developers who frequently switch between tasks and branches. It allows you to save changes temporarily, switch to a different branch, and return to your work seamlessly. Understanding how to create, list, and apply stashed changes can significantly improve your workflow and productivity when using Git.

In the next part of this series, we’ll delve into more advanced Git stash features, including naming stashes and retrieving them by name, which can further streamline your development process. Stay tuned for a deeper dive into Git stash functionality.

If you’re interested in learning more about Git and version control, be sure to explore other Git-related articles and resources to enhance your development skills. Git is a powerful tool, and mastering it can make you a more efficient and effective developer.

Here is another detailed blog focusing on Git User Configuration, providing thorough explanations and practical guidance on configuring user settings within Git repositories to optimize workflow and collaboration.