High 15 Git Interview Questions & Solutions

Nearly each improvement staff is determined by Git for model management and seamless collaboration between staff members. It’s the business commonplace for monitoring modifications in any set of information. So for those who’re pursuing a place on a dev staff — from Software program Developer to DevOps Engineer to Technical Author — expertise with Git will doubtless be a prerequisite for the job. And it’s greater than doubtless that you simply’ll be requested questions to check your expertise and data of Git throughout your technical interview. 

Top-of-the-line methods to organize for an interview is to assessment generally requested questions and apply answering them out loud. You possibly can arrange a mock interview with our AI-powered Interview Simulator and get apply responding to widespread interview questions. With the Interview Simulator, you may customise the circumstances primarily based on the position and your expertise, and take a look at responding in writing or by talking. All this apply will enable you really feel much less nervous when the time involves interview in entrance of your potential new employer.

Good to know: GitHub provides certifications that validate your expertise with the platform. We just lately revamped our course Study Git & GitHub so it aligns with the GitHub Foundations Certification Program. The course additionally has new and improved detailed walkthroughs of GitHub’s cell app, plus a brand new module on GitHub Actions and Codespaces. It’s one other nice method to get conversant in Git and GitHub earlier than a job interview.

Listed below are 15 Git interview questions, together with recommendations on methods to reply them, so you can begin making ready in your upcoming interview.

1. What are branches, and what command creates a brand new department?

C1 – – – C2 – – – C3

Above is an instance of a easy commit historical past, wherein C1 is the primary commit (model), C2 is the second commit, and C3 is the third commit. That is an instance of a grasp department. Any new branches that get created are referred to as the function department.

To create a brand new department, you employ the git department <branch-name> command, and to view all of the native branches, use the git department command. The present department is marked with an asterisk (*).

2. How typically do you commit when utilizing Git, and do you assessment information earlier than committing?

You ought to be committing as incessantly as potential. An excellent apply is to commit after each new function so long as it may be accomplished cleanly with out breaking something that already exists. Keep in mind to depart an in depth message about your commit.

3. What are your greatest practices for writing commit messages?

For this query, the interviewer is trying to see for those who’re constant throughout your commit messages. You may speak about the way you comply with a template for every commit message inside a mission, which is among the greatest practices for writing commits. It means that you can shortly determine and get some particulars in regards to the commit with no need to do further looking out.

4. What’s the distinction between git merge and git rebase? Which technique do you favor?

The 2 instructions permit builders to include modifications from one department into one other. git merge permits for the creation of a brand new “merge commit” occurring between the grasp and have commit. The command joins the 2 (or extra if wanted) collectively. For instance, git merge will add modifications to the present department. Whereas git rebase can reapply the function commit on high of the principle department.

So the most important distinction between the 2 is how the historical past will get managed. With git merge, the historical past of branches stays the identical however can subsequently go away litter from pointless outdated commits. And with git rebase, the principle historical past is partially forfeited in favor of the function historical past.

As for answering your approach choice, there’s no appropriate reply — simply so long as you may show your level. Nevertheless, there’s some scrutiny with rebasing when working in giant groups as a result of you might inadvertently rewrite public commits. However each strategies might be efficient. Look into the “golden rule of rebasing” for extra info.

5. What’s the distinction between Git and GitHub?

Whereas there are a number of variations between Git and GitHub, your interviewer is probably going searching for you to level out that Git is a software program targeted on model management and code-sharing, whereas GitHub is a internet hosting service for Git repositories. 

You can even talk about how Git is a command-line software that’s put in domestically on a system, and GitHub is a graphical person interface that’s hosted on the internet. You possibly can try our article Getting Began with Git and GitHub Desktop to study extra key variations between Git and GitHub.

6. Do you employ the command line with Git?

The command line is a textual content interface for the pc’s working system. It’s a useful gizmo for builders to work with system information, amongst different duties. Git can be utilized with graphical person interfaces (GUIs), like GitHub, or it may be used with the command line. All Git instructions can run on the command line. Nevertheless, this isn’t the case for GUIs. So even for those who don’t know Git all that effectively, having proficiency with the command line is an effective ability set to point out interviewers that you’ve the potential to, on the very least, work with Git.

7. When must you use git push in comparison with whenever you use git pull?

git push is used to add content material from one repository to a different. For instance, you may push content material from an area repository right into a distant repository.  

git pull is used to retrieve and combine content material from one other repository.  For instance, you may pull content material from a distant repository into an area repository.

8. What command do you employ to return to a earlier commit?

To return to a earlier commit on a non-public, native repository, you’ll first wish to run git log to tug up the department’s historical past. Then, after figuring out the model’s hash you wish to go to, use the git reset command to vary the repository to the commit.

For a public, distant repository, the git revert command is a safer choice. It’ll create a brand new commit with the earlier edits slightly than delete commits from the historical past.

9. Has there ever been a time whenever you labored from a number of machines or with a number of builders? How did you prefer it? What did you discover most difficult?

To reply this query, you may speak about your workflow. For instance, clarify the way you’ve used Git previously as your model management system for working between machines or sharing with a number of builders.

10. What strategies do you employ to wash up your function branches?

For this query, you may point out these three instructions. 

1. git merge --squash is a command that may merge a number of commits of a department.
2. git commit --fixup marks the commit as a repair of the earlier commit.
3. git rebase -i --autosquash is a rebase sort of squash for merging a number of commits.

11. What are Git attributes used for?

Git attributes permit programmers to attempt totally different merge methods throughout the information or directories of a mission. Attributes are set on paths in order that when sure settings are utilized alongside the trail, the attribute can carry out requests. Git attributes can even carry out requests when exporting your mission.

12. Have you ever ever accomplished debugging with Git? How did you do that?

To debug with Git, you employ git bisect to determine the primary decide to introduce a bug by utilizing computerized binary search. And git blame identifies the writer of a commit, whereas git grep searches for any string or common expression in any of the information within the staging space.

13. Have you ever ever encountered a merge battle? How did you go about resolving it?

Merge conflicts occur when there are competing modifications throughout the commits, and Git is unable to robotically decide which modifications to make use of. Merge conflicts might be resolved by enhancing the file that has the battle. And as soon as the edits get made, add and commit the file.

You possibly can learn extra about merge conflicts on this GitHub article.

14. Clarify Git hooks.

Git hooks are customized scripts that may run when sure actions happen. There are two varieties: client-side hooks and server-side hooks. Git hooks might be written in any scripting programming language. They need to be positioned throughout the hooks subdirectory of the .git listing.

15. What’s your Git workflow like?

Some programmers use Git each day, whereas some don’t use it in any respect. It could possibly rely on the mission and staff measurement, however try to be utilizing Git nearly each day that you simply program, in a super world. So modeling your workflow round Git is a good apply to have.

A greatest apply to comply with relating to the VCS is to constantly talk with staff members to make sure everybody follows the identical Git conventions. 

Extra interviewing assets

If it is advisable to refresh your Git expertise extra earlier than your interview, try our Study Git & GitHub course. On this newly revamped course, you’ll assessment essentially the most generally used Git instructions and be launched to GitHub options which might be useful for groups and enterprises. You can even try our weblog on methods to use GitHub in your resume.

For extra interview prep, learn our recommendations on answering technical and behavioral interview questions and take a look at this full information to acing the technical interview. Searching for extra? Our Profession Middle has much more interview and job-hunting recommendation and suggestions, and make sure to try our full course catalog for those who’re trying to study a brand new technical ability.

This weblog was initially printed in January 2023 and has been up to date to incorporate new particulars about Study Git & GitHub course updates.