High 15 Git Interview Questions & Solutions

Virtually each development team depends on Git for model management and seamless collaboration between group members. It’s the trade normal for monitoring adjustments in any set of information. So when you’re pursuing a place on a dev group — from Software Developer to DevOps Engineer to Technical Author — expertise with Git will seemingly be a prerequisite for the job. And it’s greater than seemingly that you just’ll be requested questions to check your abilities and data of Git throughout your technical interview. 

Among the best methods to organize for an interview is to evaluation generally requested questions and apply answering them out loud. You’ll be able to apply by yourself or ask somebody to arrange a mock interview with you so you’ll be able to apply answering questions in an interview-like atmosphere. All this apply will make it easier to really feel much less nervous when the time involves interview in entrance of your potential new employer.

Listed here are 15 Git interview questions, together with tips about the right way 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 known as the function department.

To create a brand new department, you utilize 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 evaluation information earlier than committing?

You have to be committing as ceaselessly as attainable. An excellent apply is to commit after each new function so long as it may be achieved cleanly with out breaking something that already exists. Keep in mind to go away an in depth message about your commit.

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

For this query, the interviewer is seeking to see when you’re constant throughout your commit messages. You possibly can discuss the way you comply with a template for every commit message inside a undertaking, which is among the finest practices for writing commits. It means that you can rapidly establish and get some particulars concerning the commit without having to do additional looking out.

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

The 2 instructions permit builders to include adjustments 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 adjustments to the present department. Whereas git rebase can reapply the function commit on prime of the principle department.

So the key 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 method desire, there’s no appropriate reply — simply so long as you’ll be able to show your level. Nonetheless, there’s some scrutiny with rebasing when working in giant groups as a result of it’s possible you’ll inadvertently rewrite public commits. However each strategies will be efficient. Look into the “golden rule of rebasing” for extra data.

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 in search of 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 instrument that’s put in regionally on a system, and GitHub is a graphical person interface that’s hosted on the internet. You’ll be able to try our article Getting Started with Git and GitHub Desktop to be taught extra key variations between Git and GitHub.

6. Do you utilize 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. Nonetheless, this isn’t the case for GUIs. So even when you don’t know Git all that nicely, having proficiency with the command line is an efficient ability set to indicate interviewers that you’ve the aptitude to, on the very least, work with Git.

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

git push is used to add content material from one repository to a different. For instance, you’ll be able to 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’ll be able to pull content material from a distant repository into an area repository.

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

To return to a earlier commit on a personal, native repository, you’ll first need to run git log to tug up the department’s historical past. Then, after figuring out the model’s hash you need 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 possibility. It’ll create a brand new commit with the earlier edits somewhat than delete commits from the historical past.

9. Has there ever been a time while 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’ll be able to discuss 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 utilize to wash up your function branches?

For this query, you’ll be able to 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 kind of squash for merging a number of commits.

11. What are Git attributes used for?

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

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

To debug with Git, you utilize git bisect to establish the primary decide to introduce a bug through the use of automated 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 adjustments throughout the commits, and Git is unable to mechanically decide which adjustments to make use of. Merge conflicts will be resolved by modifying the file that has the battle. And as soon as the edits get made, add and commit the file.

You’ll be able to 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 will 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 day by day, whereas some don’t use it in any respect. It could possibly rely on the undertaking and group measurement, however you need to be utilizing Git nearly day by day that you just program, in a great world. So modeling your workflow round Git is a good apply to have.

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

Extra interviewing sources

If you must refresh your Git abilities extra earlier than your interview, try our Learn Git & GitHub course. On this course, you’ll evaluation probably the most generally used Git instructions and be launched to GitHub options which are useful for groups and enterprises. You can even try our Getting Started with Git weblog. 

For extra interview prep, learn our tips on answering technical and behavioral interview questions and take a look at this complete guide to acing the technical interview. In search of extra? Our Career Center has much more interview and job-hunting recommendation and ideas, and be sure you try our full course catalog when you’re seeking to be taught a brand new technical ability.