How to manage multiple Git stashes?

Introduction

Git stashing is a powerful feature that allows you to temporarily save your local changes without committing them. This is particularly useful when you need to switch between branches or perform other tasks without losing your current work. In this tutorial, we'll explore how to manage multiple Git stashes, enabling you to efficiently handle and organize your project's changes.

Skills Graph

Introduction to Git Stashing

Git stashing is a powerful feature that allows you to temporarily save your local changes, including both staged and unstaged modifications, without committing them to the repository. This is particularly useful when you need to switch to a different branch or task, but don't want to lose the work you've done.

Understanding Git Stashing:

• Stashing: The process of temporarily saving your local changes, including both staged and unstaged modifications.
• Stash: A collection of the saved changes, which can be retrieved and applied later.
• Stash Stack: Git maintains a stack of stashes, allowing you to manage multiple stashed changes.

Use Cases for Git Stashing:

• Switching Branches: When you need to switch to a different branch, but have uncommitted changes, you can stash them and apply the stash later.
• Experimenting with Changes: You can stash your current work, try out new changes, and then reapply the stashed changes if the new changes don't work out.
• Cleaning up the Working Directory: Stashing can help you quickly clean up your working directory by temporarily saving your changes.

The above diagram illustrates the relationship between the working directory, staging area, local repository, and the stash in the context of Git.

Stashing and Retrieving Changes

Stashing Changes

To stash your current changes, use the following command:

git stash

This will save your local modifications, including both staged and unstaged changes, in the stash stack.

You can also include a message with your stash using the -m option:

git stash -m "Saving my work before switching branches"

Retrieving Stashed Changes

To apply the most recent stash, use the following command:

git stash apply

This will apply the changes from the top of the stash stack to your current working directory, but the stash itself will remain in the stack.

If you want to remove the stash after applying it, you can use the following command:

git stash pop

This will apply the most recent stash and then remove it from the stash stack.

Viewing the Stash Stack

To see the list of stashed changes, use the following command:

git stash list

This will display all the stashes in the stack, with the most recent stash at the top.

stash@{0}: WIP on main: 5c3386c Commit message
stash@{1}: WIP on main: 2b7d2ff Another commit message

The output shows the stash reference (e.g., stash@{0}) and the commit message associated with the stash.

Managing Multiple Stashes

Applying a Specific Stash

If you have multiple stashes and want to apply a specific one, you can use the following command:

git stash apply stash@{index}

Replace {index} with the index of the stash you want to apply, as shown in the git stash list output.

Dropping a Specific Stash

To remove a specific stash from the stack, use the following command:

git stash drop stash@{index}

Again, replace {index} with the index of the stash you want to drop.

Clearing the Entire Stash Stack

If you want to remove all the stashes in the stack, use the following command:

git stash clear

This will remove all the stashed changes from the stack.

Branching from a Stash

You can create a new branch directly from a stash using the following command:

git stash branch <branch-name> stash@{index}

This will:

1. Create a new branch with the specified <branch-name>.
2. Apply the stash at the specified index to the new branch.
3. Drop the applied stash from the stash stack.

This can be useful when you want to continue working on a specific set of changes in a new branch.

The diagram above illustrates the relationship between the working directory, staging area, local repository, stash stack, and the new branch created from a stash.

Summary

By mastering the techniques covered in this tutorial, you'll be able to effectively manage multiple Git stashes, making it easier to switch between tasks, maintain a clean Git repository, and collaborate more efficiently with your team. Understanding how to stash, retrieve, and organize your changes will streamline your Git-based development workflow and help you become a more proficient Git user.