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The Three Git Zones & Checking History

Before you start branching, you need to understand how Git sees the files on your computer. Git operates across three main zones:

  1. Working Directory: This is your actual project folder on your computer. You can see, edit, and delete files here normally.
  2. Staging Area (The Index): This is your "loading dock." When you modify a file, Git notices, but it won't save it until you "stage" it. Think of this as putting items into a shopping cart before checking out.
  3. Local Repository: This is where Git stores your permanent checkpoints (commits). Once you commit, your changes are safely logged into Git's history book.

Moving Files Through the Zones

# Step 1: Put a modified file into the Staging Area (the shopping cart)
git add filename.txt

# Shortcut: Put ALL modified files into the Staging Area
git add .

# Step 2: Permanently save everything in the Staging Area as a checkpoint
git commit -m "A short message describing what you changed"

Checking Your History: Git Log

If you ever get lost or want to find the ID number of an old save point, you can look at your history log.

# View the full list of past saves, who made them, and when
git log

# A beginner-friendly, clean, compact view of your history timeline
git log --oneline --graph --decorate