How to Commit in Git (with git commit)

A commit saves a snapshot of your staged changes to the local Git repository. Note two important things: first, you must explicitly stage changes with git add before committing — modified files are not included automatically. Second, a commit only saves to the local repository; you need git push to share it with a remote.

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Basic Commit

Stage the files you want to include, then commit with a message:

$ git add index.html css/styles.css
$ git commit -m "Change titles and styling on homepage"

Commit All Changed Files

To include all currently changed tracked files without a separate git add step, use -a. Note that new untracked files are still not included:

$ git commit -a -m "Change titles and styling on homepage"

Amending the Last Commit

Use --amend to fix a mistake in the most recent commit — either the message, the staged content, or both. Git rewrites the last commit with the new changes:

$ git add forgotten-change.js
$ git commit --amend -m "New commit message"

Only amend commits that have not been pushed to a remote yet. Rewriting published commits causes problems for anyone who has already pulled them.