Introduction

Git stash is a powerful command that allows you to temporarily save your uncommitted changes, allowing you to switch branches or work on another task without losing your progress.

Basic Usage

1. Stashing changes:

git stash

This saves your current working directory and index state into a stash.

2. Listing stashes:

git stash list

Shows a list of all stashed changes.

3. Applying a stashed change:

Without removing from stash:

git stash apply

Removing from stash:

git stash pop

4. Dropping a stashed change:

git stash drop stash@{0}

Replace stash@{0} with the specific stash you want to delete.

5. Clearing all stashes:

git stash clear

Example Workflow

Let's say you're working on a feature branch and you're halfway through when you need to fix a bug on the main branch:

1. Stash your changes:

git stash

2. Switch to the main branch:

git checkout main

3. Fix the bug:

# Make necessary changes
git add .
git commit -m "Fixed bug"

4. Switch back to your feature branch:

git checkout feature_branch

5. Apply your stashed changes:

git stash pop

Additional Tips

• Include untracked files

git stash does not include untracked files.

For including untracked files:

git stash save --include-untracked

• Stash with a message:

git stash save "My stash message"

• Create a branch from a stash:

git stash branch new_branch stash@{0}

• Inspecting a stash:

git stash show stash@{0}

Question and Answer

Is this possible to stash and work on the same branch?

Yes, you can stash and work on the same branch. This is actually a common use case for git stash.

# Stash your current changes
git stash

# Work on a different task
# ... make changes ...

# Apply the stashed changes
git stash pop

Conclusion

This feature of git come handy many times. But, I know you forget things just like me. So, just revisit this post when you need to stash someday. Thank you.