What is the difference between reset and restore?

In Git, both reset and restore are commands used to manipulate the state of your working directory and staging area, but they serve different purposes:

git reset

• Purpose: Primarily used to move the current branch pointer to a different commit and can also affect the staging area.
• Usage:
  • git reset <commit>: Moves the branch pointer to the specified commit. It can also modify the staging area and working directory based on the options used (e.g., --soft, --mixed, --hard).
  • Example: git reset HEAD~1 moves the branch back one commit and unstages changes.

git restore

• Purpose: Introduced in Git 2.23, it is specifically designed to restore files in the working directory or staging area without affecting the branch pointer.
• Usage:
  • git restore <filename>: Restores the specified file from the staging area or the last commit to the working directory.
  • Example: git restore --staged <filename> unstages a file without changing the working directory.

Summary

• Use git reset to change the commit history and potentially modify the staging area and working directory.
• Use git restore to revert changes in files without altering the commit history.

These commands help manage your changes effectively, depending on your needs.