What are the differences between "git commit" and "git push"?

The git commit and git push commands are two fundamental commands in the Git version control system, but they serve distinct purposes and functionalities.

git commit

The git commit command is primarily used to record changes in your local repository. It commits all modifications in the current working directory that have been staged using git add to the local repository. This process exclusively affects the local repository and does not impact the remote repository. Each commit generates a unique commit ID (also known as a 'commit hash'), which enables you to track and review historical changes.

For example, if you modify a file such as readme.md and execute the following commands:

bash
git add readme.md
git commit -m 'Update readme file'

You have created a new commit that records the changes to the readme.md file.

git push

The git push command is used to push changes from your local repository to a remote repository. This means that changes you have made locally (which have been committed using git commit) are uploaded to the remote server for sharing with collaborators. During this process, you may push to remote repositories hosted on services like GitHub or GitLab.

Continuing with the previous example, if you want to push the previous commit to GitHub, you might execute:

bash
git push origin main

Here, origin is the default name for the remote repository, and main is the branch name you are pushing to.

Summary

In summary, git commit is used to save your local changes, while git push is used to share these changes with other team members or synchronize with the remote server. Understanding the distinction between these two commands is essential for efficiently and securely utilizing Git.