Git Checkout

The git checkout command switches, creates and restores branches in the working directory to a specific state. The git checkout command also allows switching to a specific commit without changing branches.

Syntax

Checkout with branches:

git checkout [options] <branch-name>

• <branch-name> specifies the name of the branch to switch to or create.
• [options] optional flags that can be used with the checkout command. Here are some of the most commonly used options:
  • -b creates a new branch with the specified name and switches to it immediately.
  • - returns to the previously checked-out branch. This flag does not need the <branch-name>.
  • -f (–force) forces the checkout, discarding any local changes in the working directory.

Checkout to a specific commit:

git checkout <commit-hash>

Switch to an existing branch

The following command will switch to an already existing branch, created previously with the git branch command:

git checkout existing-branch

Note: From Git 2.23, the new specific git switch command has been introduced to switch branches, making it clearer and safer than git checkout because it avoids the ambiguity of the latter’s multi-purpose nature.

Create and switch to a new branch

It is possible to create and switch to a new branch with a single command using the -b option:

git checkout -b new-branch

Restore a file from a specific commit

git checkout also allows to restore a file from a specific commit using its hash:

git checkout <commit-hash> -- example.txt

Examine a Previous Commit

git checkout also allows temporarily moving to a specific commit without changing branches. This state is called detached HEAD state:

git checkout <commit-hash>

The detached HEAD state allows to:

• Examine the state of the repository at that specified commit.
• Create new branches if the developer needs to start from that point.
• Any code changes made in this state will not be associated with any existing branch unless a new branch is created.