In this article you learn about git stash. like what is git stash? how git stash can help us and what is the use of git stash? how add some specific file to git stash?

git stash is a command in Git that allows you to temporarily save changes that have not been committed or staged, so that you can switch to a different branch or work on something else, and then later return to the stashed changes.

Here is how to use git stash:

1. Make some changes to the files in your repository.
2. Run the git stash command with an optional message describing the stash: git stash save "Stash message"
3. The changes are now saved, and your working directory is clean. You can switch to a different branch, make more changes, and then return to the stashed changes later.
4. To reapply the stashed changes, run the git stash apply command.
5. To list the stashes you have created, run the git stash list command.

Note: git stash does not affect your repository's commit history, and the changes are stored only in memory until they are reapplied. It is a useful tool for temporarily saving changes while you work on something else, but it should not be used as a substitute for committing changes to your repository's history.

git stash can be useful in several scenarios:

1. Switching branches: When you need to switch to a different branch to work on something, but you have changes in your current branch that you don't want to commit yet. With git stash, you can save those changes, switch to the other branch, and then reapply the stashed changes later.
2. Cleaning up the working directory: When your working directory is cluttered with changes that you don't want to commit yet, but you want to keep them for later. You can stash the changes, which will clean up your working directory, and then reapply the stashed changes later.
3. Sharing changes with others: When you want to share your changes with others, but you don't want to commit them to the main branch yet. You can stash the changes, push the stash to a remote repository, and then let others apply the stashed changes.
4. Temporarily removing changes: When you need to temporarily remove changes from your working directory, but you don't want to discard them completely. You can stash the changes, which will remove them from the working directory, and then reapply the stashed changes later.

Note: git stash should not be used as a substitute for committing changes to your repository's history, as stashes can be lost or forgotten. It is a useful tool for temporarily saving changes while you work on something else, but you should eventually commit the changes to your repository's history to ensure they are preserved and shared with others.

To stash a specific file in Git, you need to first stage the changes you made to that file using the git add command. Then, you can use the git stash command with the --keep-index option:

git add 
git stash save --keep-index "Stash message"

where is the name of the file you want to stash, and "Stash message" is an optional message describing the stash

The --keep-index option tells Git to stash only the changes that have not been staged, while keeping the staged changes in the working tree. This allows you to stash a specific file while preserving your changes to other files.


Name a Git stash by including a stash message and apply a git stash with specific message or stash ID ?

You can name a Git stash by including a stash message with the git stash save command. The stash message acts as the name of the stash. To retrieve a stash by name, you can use the git stash apply command with the stash message:

# save a stash with a message
git stash save "stash name"

# apply a stash with a specific message
git stash apply "stash name"

You can also list all stashes and their messages using the git stash list command:

# list all stashes and their messages
git stash list

Then, you can apply a stash by specifying the stash ID in the git stash apply command:

# apply a stash by ID
git stash apply stash@{ID}

where ID is the stash ID you want to apply, listed in the git stash list command.