Git Branch Management Cheatsheet - Command Reference
Git branches are the core of team collaboration. All essential branch operation commands organized by Create & Switch, Merge & Rebase, Remote Branches, and Cleanup for managing multi-branch development workflows.
Back to Version ControlCreate & Switch 5
git branch feature/loginCreate a new branch
git checkout feature/loginSwitch to a branch
git checkout -b feature/loginCreate and switch to a new branch
git switch feature/loginSwitch to a branch (new command)
git switch -c feature/loginCreate and switch (new command)
Merge & Rebase 5
git merge feature/loginMerge branch into current branch
git merge --no-ff feature/loginForce create merge commit
git rebase mainRebase onto main branch
git rebase -i HEAD~3Interactive rebase of last 3 commits
git rebase --abortAbort rebase
Remote Branches 5
git push origin feature/loginPush branch to remote
git push -u origin feature/loginPush and set upstream tracking
git fetch originFetch remote updates
git pull origin feature/loginPull remote branch
git branch -rView remote branches
Delete & Cleanup 4
git branch -d feature/loginDelete merged branch
git branch -D feature/loginForce delete unmerged branch
git push origin --delete feature/loginDelete remote branch
git branch --mergedView merged branches
💡 Tips
- Both git switch and git checkout can switch branches, but switch is more focused on branch operations.
- rebase rewrites commit history — never rebase on shared branches that have been pushed.
- --no-ff merge preserves branch history, suitable for merging feature branches into main.
- git branch -vv shows tracking relationships between local and remote branches.