30 Commonly Asked GIT Interview Questions and Answers (2024)

March 05, 2024
30 Commonly Asked GIT Interview Questions and Answers (2024)



The best tool available for managing source code is Git. It provides collaborative tools, including issue tracking, project management, and wikis, to help both programmers and non-technical people. Git plays an important part in DevOps processes. Git’s significance in the DevOps space means that career opportunities should rise. According to a Grand View Research analysis, the global DevOps market is expected to increase at an annual pace of 18.60% to reach $12.85 billion by 2025. We are going to share the most asked Git interview questions and answers with you so you can ace any interview you walk into.

Table of Contents

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Why is Git Used?

Git is a popular distributed version control system (VCS) that is necessary for tracking changes made to source code while it is being developed for software. It was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 to aid with the development of the Linux kernel. Git is a fast and efficient project management tool that can handle any project of any size, no matter how big or small.

Commonly Asked Git Interview Questions for DevOps

Here are 30 commonly asked Git interview questions for you:

1. What is Git, and why is it used?

You might think this is a very basic thing, but this Git interview question is often asked of the candidates. Git is a distributed version control system used to track changes in source code during software development. It allows multiple developers to collaborate on a project efficiently and manage different versions of the codebase.

2. What are the advantages of using Git over other version control systems?

Git offers distributed development, fast branching and merging, efficient handling of large projects, and support for non-linear development workflows, among other benefits. This is another important Git interview question.

3. Explain the difference between Git and SVN (Subversion).

Git is a distributed version control system, meaning every developer has a complete copy of the repository. SVN, on the other hand, follows a centralized model where there’s a single repository that all developers connect to.

4. What is a repository in Git?

A repository in Git is a collection of files and folders along with their revision history. It contains metadata, configuration files, and objects necessary for version control.

5. How do you initialize a Git repository?

You can initialize a Git repository in a directory using the command git init.

6. What is the difference between a Git clone and a Git fork?

Git clone creates a copy of an existing repository, including all branches and commit history, on the local machine. Git fork creates a copy of a repository on a remote server (like GitHub), allowing for independent development. You need to know the difference as a DevOps engineer because interviewers often ask this Git interview question.

7. What is the purpose of the .gitignore file?

The .gitignore file specifies intentionally untracked files that Git should ignore. This is useful for excluding build artifacts, temporary files, and other files that shouldn’t be committed to the repository.

8. Explain the concept of branching in Git.

Branching in Git allows developers to diverge from the main line of development and continue working on features or fixes without affecting the main codebase. Each branch represents an independent line of development.

9. How do you create a new branch in Git?

You can create a new branch in Git using the command git checkout -b branch_name.

10. What is a merge conflict in Git, and how do you resolve it?

A merge conflict occurs when Git is unable to merge changes from different branches automatically. To resolve it, you need to edit the conflicting files manually, choose which changes to keep, and then commit the resolved files.

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11. Explain the difference between a Git merge and a Git rebase.

Git merge integrates changes from one branch into another, creating a merge commit. Git rebase, on the other hand, moves the entire branch to begin from the tip of another branch, resulting in a linear history without merge commits.

12. What is a Git stash, and how do you use it?

Git stash is a feature that allows you to store changes that are not ready to be committed temporarily. You can use git stash save to stash changes and git stash apply to apply them back to the working directory.

13. What is Git cherry-pick?

Git cherry-pick is a command used to apply a specific commit from one branch to another. It allows you to pick individual commits and apply them to the current branch.

14. What is Git bisect, and how do you use it?

Git bisect is a command used to find the commit that introduced a bug by performing a binary search through the commit history. You mark commits as good or bad, and Git helps you narrow down the problematic commit.

15. Explain the concept of Git remote.

Git remote is a pointer to another copy of the same repository hosted on a different server. It allows users to collaborate with others by pushing and pulling changes to and from remote repositories.

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16. How do you add a remote repository in Git?

You can add a remote repository in Git using the command git remote add <name> <url>, where <name> is a nickname for the remote repository and <url> is the URL of the repository.

17. What is Git fetch and Git pull?

Git fetch retrieves changes from a remote repository without merging them into the local branch. Git pull, on the other hand, fetches changes and merges them into the current branch.

18. How do you push changes to a remote repository in Git?

You can push changes to a remote repository in Git using the command git push <remote_name> <branch_name>.

19. Explain the difference between Git push and Git push-force.

Git push updates the remote repository with local changes without overwriting remote changes. Git push-force forcefully updates the remote repository, overwriting remote changes with local changes.

20. What is Git revert, and how does it work?

Git revert is a command used to undo a commit by creating a new commit that undoes the changes introduced by the original commit. It does not modify the commit history.

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21. What is Git reset, and how does it differ from Git revert?

Git reset is a command used to move the HEAD and current branch pointer to a different commit. Unlike Git revert, Git reset modifies the commit history by discarding commits.

22. Explain the difference between Git checkout and Git reset.

Git checkout is used to switch branches or restore files from a specific commit, while Git reset is used to move the HEAD and current branch pointer to a different commit, potentially discarding commits.

23. What is a Git tag, and how do you create tags?

Git tag is a reference to a specific commit in the Git history. You can create tags using the command git tag <tag_name>.

24. How do you delete a branch in Git?

You can delete a branch in Git using the command git branch -d <branch_name>. Use -D instead of -d to force delete a branch that has unmerged changes.

25. Explain the difference between Git fetch and Git pull.

Git fetch retrieves changes from a remote repository without merging them into the local branch, while Git pull fetches changes and merges them into the current branch.

26. What is a Git submodule?

A Git submodule is a way to include one Git repository as a subdirectory of another Git repository. It allows you to keep a separate repository within your main project.

27. What is Git reflog, and how do you use it?

Git reflog is a command used to view the history of operations performed in a repository, even if they are not part of the commit history. It can be used to recover lost commits or branches.

28. What is Git blame, and how do you use it?

Git blame is a command used to view the revision history of a file, showing which commit and author last modified each line. It can be useful for tracking changes and identifying the author responsible for specific changes.

29. Explain the difference between Git merge –squash and Git rebase.

Git merge –squash merges all changes from a feature branch into the main branch as a single commit, while Git rebase moves the entire feature branch to begin from the tip of the main branch, resulting in a linear history without merge commits.

30. What is GitLab/GitHub Pages? How do you use it?

Interviewers also ask this Git interview question to judge if you are only aware of basic knowledge or an in-depth one. GitLab/GitHub Pages is a feature that allows you to host static websites directly from your GitLab/GitHub repository. You can enable it in the repository settings and configure the source branch for the website content. GitLab/GitHub automatically builds and deploys the website whenever changes are pushed to the specified branch.

Wrap Up

Git is gaining traction at an incredible rate, and it’s expected that, eventually, all developers worldwide will be collaborating as a single team thanks to it. Git has become an essential component of a developer’s life due to its vast reach and constant demand. It is necessary to practice these common Git interview questions before sitting in an interview. Good luck!

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author

jordan

Full Stack Java Developer | Writer | Recruiter, bridging the gap between exceptional talent and opportunities, for some of the biggest Fortune 500 companies.


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