Welcome to the team! You’ve landed one of the many exciting developer jobs in the EU, and on day one, you’re ready to code. But first, you need to join the workflow. In 99.9% of tech companies, that workflow runs on Git.
Git is the language of modern software collaboration. It’s how you’ll work with your new teammates, whether they’re in the office in Berlin or working remotely from Lisbon.
You don’t need to be a wizard, but you must know the core workflow. Here are the 5 essential commands you’ll use every single day.
🌳 The Core Idea: The Branching Workflow
You never, ever work directly on the main (main or master) branch. That branch is “production”—it’s the clean, working, live code.
Your entire job happens on a copy (a “branch”) that you create, work on, and then “merge” back in once it’s approved. These 5 commands are the exact steps of that process.
Your 5-Command Daily Workflow
1. git clone [url]
- What it does: This is “Get The Code.” It copies the entire project (the “repository”) from a remote server (like GitHub) to your local machine.
- When you use it: You’ll do this exactly once for each project you join.
- Command: git clone https://github.com/company-name/project-name.git
2. git checkout -b <branch-name>
- What it does: This is “Create Your Workspace.” It does two things at once:
- git branch <branch-name>: Creates a new, separate branch (your copy).
- git checkout <branch-name>: Switches you into that new branch.
- When you use it: Every time you start a new ticket, new feature, or bug fix.
- Command: git checkout -b feature/user-login-form (always use a descriptive name!)
3. git add [files]
- What it does: This is “Mark Your Files for Saving.” Git doesn’t automatically save everything. You have to tell it which specific changes you want to save.
- When you use it: After you’ve made changes to a file and are ready to save it. You can add one file at a time (git add file.js) or all changed files in the project (git add .).
- Command: git add . (This is the most common.)
4. git commit -m “Your message”
- What it does: This is “Save Your Work.” It takes all the files you marked with git add and bundles them into a “commit”—a permanent snapshot of your work with a message explaining what you did.
- When you use it: After you git add. You’ll make many commits for a single feature.
- Command: git commit -m “Feat: Add basic login form component” (Always write clear, descriptive messages!)
5. git pull
- What it does: This is “Get Team Updates.” It “pulls” down all the changes your teammates have made to the main branch since you last checked.
- When you use it: You should do this every morning before you start work, and always before you create a new branch, to make sure you’re working off the most up-to-date code.
- Command: git pull origin main (This pulls the latest main branch from the server, “origin”.)
Command Cheat Sheet
| Command | What It Does |
| git clone [url] | Gets the repository (Day 1) |
| git checkout -b [branch] | Creates & moves to your new branch (Start of task) |
| git add . | Stages your changed files (Ready to save) |
| git commit -m “msg” | Saves your staged files (The “save”) |
| git pull | Gets the latest updates from the team (Daily) |
What’s Next? git push
Once you’ve made your commits, the final step is git push. This “pushes” your new branch up to the server so your team can see your work and you can open a “Pull Request” (PR) to get it merged.
Mastering this 5-command loop shows your staffing agency get-talent.eu in the EU and your new boss that you’re not just a coder—you’re a developer who’s ready to be part of a team.
References
- Atlassian: Basic Git Commands
- GitHub Education: Git Cheat Sheet
- Git SCM: Official Git Documentation