Staging and Committing in Git

Git tracks changes using a three-step workflow:

1. Modify your files
2. Add them to the staging area
3. Commit them to the repository

Git Workflow

Edit → Stage → Commit

• Edit: Make changes in files
• Stage: Mark them for versioning
• Commit: Save the snapshot

Staging vs Committing

Add Files to Staging Area

Single File

git add README.md

All Files in Directory

git add .

. = All files in current and subdirectories

Commit the Files

git commit -m "Adding a README."

Expected Output:

[main cb33c18] Adding a README.
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
 create mode 100644 README.md

💡 Use clear, short commit messages for each change

Best Practices for Commits

• ✅ Use -m for one-line commit messages
• 📄 Save detailed notes using git commit (opens editor)
• ⏪ Commits are snapshots of your work

Try It Yourself

Problem 1: Add and Commit One File

touch hello.txt
git add hello.txt
git commit -m "Add hello.txt"

Problem 2: Add All and Commit

git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit with all files"