Check file status (git status)

Check File Status (git status)

git status is one of the most commonly used commands in Git, used to view the current state of the working directory and staging area. It shows which files have been modified, which files are staged, which files are untracked, and the relationship between the current branch and the remote branch, among other information.

Basic Usage

Run directly in the project root directory:

git status

Example output:

On branch main
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.

Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
        modified:   src/index.js

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
        new-file.txt

no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

Detailed Interpretation of Output

Branch Information

The first line shows the current branch:

On branch main

If in a detached HEAD state, it will display:

HEAD detached at a1b2c3d

Remote Branch Synchronization Status

Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.

Possible states include:

• Your branch is up to date with...: Local is synchronized with remote
• Your branch is ahead of...: Local has unpushed commits
• Your branch is behind...: Local is behind the remote branch

Change Areas

Git categorizes file states into several main areas:

Staged Changes (Changes to be committed)

After using git add, files enter this area:

Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
        modified:   package.json

Unstaged Changes (Changes not staged for commit)

Files have been modified but not staged:

Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
        modified:   src/utils.js

Untracked Files (Untracked files)

New files not yet tracked by Git:

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
        tests/spec.js

Common Options

Short Output

Use -s or --short for concise output:

git status -s

Example output:

 M src/index.js
A  lib/helper.js
?? config.local.json

Status flags explanation:

• : Unmodified
• M: Modified
• A: Added
• D: Deleted
• R: Renamed
• C: Copied
• ??: Untracked

Show Branch Tracking Information

git status -b

Output includes more detailed branch information:

On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 2 commits.
  (use "git push" to publish your local commits)

Ignore Submodules

git status --ignore-submodules

Practical Application Scenarios

Scenario 1: Pre-Commit Check

# Check status after development
git status

# Output shows unstaged modifications
Changes not staged for commit:
  modified:   src/components/Button.js

# Add file to staging area
git add src/components/Button.js

# Check again
git status
Changes to be committed:
  modified:   src/components/Button.js

Scenario 2: Handling Merge Conflicts

Check status after merging branches:

git merge feature-branch
git status

If there are conflicts, it will display:

Unmerged paths:
  (use "git add <file>..." to mark resolution)
        both modified:   src/App.js

Scenario 3: Cleaning the Working Directory

git status
# Shows many untracked files
Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
        tmp/
        *.log

# Use .gitignore to ignore these files
echo "tmp/" >> .gitignore
echo "*.log" >> .gitignore

git status
# Untracked files disappear

Advanced Usage

Show Detailed Changes

git status -v

Additionally shows differences between the working directory and staging area.

Ignore Specific File Patterns

Temporarily ignore status checks for certain files:

git status --ignored

Colored Output

Git uses colors by default, but you can also enable it manually:

git config --global color.status always

Combining with Other Commands

Combining with git diff

git status
# Find unstaged changes
git diff
# View specific changes

Combining with git clean

git status
# Shows many untracked files
git clean -n
# Preview files to be deleted
git clean -f
# Actually delete

Common Issue Troubleshooting

Inconsistent Status Display

If git status shows modifications but git diff has no output, it may be due to file permission changes:

git config core.filemode false

Ignored Files Still Showing

When .gitignore rules don't take effect:

git rm --cached <file>

Submodule Status Anomalies

git submodule update --init