Git Scenario-Based Questions

Basic Git Scenarios

1 Accidentally committed sensitive credentials in Git. How do you remove them from history?

Use git filter-branch (deprecated) or git filter-repo, then force push.

2 How do you undo your last commit without losing your changes?

• Use git reset --soft HEAD~1

You need to discard local changes in a specific file. How would you do it?

• git checkout -- <file>

• git restore <file>

What happens if you run git reset --hard HEAD~1?

It removes the last commit and all changes permanently.

How can you recover a deleted branch?

Use git reflog to find the commit and git checkout -b <branch_name> <commit_hash>.

Use git checkout <correct_branch>, then git cherry-pick <commit_hash>.

How do you revert a specific commit without affecting other changes?

git revert <commit_hash>.

You cloned a repository but forgot to specify --recurse-submodules. How do you initialize submodules afterward?

git submodule update --init --recursive.

How do you rebase a feature branch onto the main branch?

git checkout feature-branch 

git rebase main

What is the difference between git merge and git rebase?

git merge creates a new merge commit, while git rebase moves commits on top of the latest branch.

How do you delete a remote branch that is no longer needed?

git push origin --delete <branch_name>

Your main branch is ahead of your local branch. How do you update your branch without affecting your commits?

git pull --rebase origin main

What happens if you try to merge a branch that has already been merged?

How do you force push a commit while ensuring you don't overwrite other team members' work

git push --force-with-lease

You need to contribute to an open-source project. What steps will you take to fork and create a pull request?

Fork repo, clone it, create a feature branch, push changes, and open a PR.

How do you revert a pushed commit that is causing issues in production?

Use git revert <commit_hash>, then push.

Advanced Git Scenarios

You need to squash multiple commits into one before pushing. How do you do that?

Use git rebase -i HEAD~<n>, then choose squash.

How do you rewrite commit history to change a commit message from a few commits ago?

Use git rebase -i HEAD~<n> and modify the commit message.

Explain how git cherry-pick works and when you would use it.

It applies a specific commit from one branch to another. Useful for selective fixes.

You have diverged from the remote branch, and your local commits conflict with remote changes. How do you fix this?

git pull --rebase and resolve conflicts

How do you temporarily save changes that are not ready to be committed?

• Use git stash.

Your Git repository has become very large. How do you reduce its size without affecting its history?

Use git gc or git filter-repo.

Explain the difference between git revert and git reset. When would you use each?

• git revert undoes a commit safely,

• git reset removes commits.

• Use revert for public branches and reset for local changes.