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Git Cheat Sheet for TFS Users


More and more of my TFS consulting customers are interested in Git.  If you’re used to a centralized version control system like Team Foundation Server Version Control (TFVC), it can be a little tricky to make the move to Git — not because it’s all that hard — mostly because the terminology is completely different.  So, are you a TFVC user who needs to wrap your head around Git?  Here’s a little cheat sheet for you.

TFS Version Control Git
Workspace Repository (aka. “Repo”)
Get Latest  (First time) Clone
Get Latest (After first time) Pull
Check in Commit + Push
Check out (just start typing)
Branch Branch
Merge Merge
Code Review “pull request”
Shelveset Stash
Label Tag

Hope this helps.

-Ben

 

— Need some help getting your TFS Version Control migrated over to Git?  Git branching got you down?  Trying to figure out Scrum + Git?  Wondering about Git DevOps?   We can help.  Drop us a line at info@benday.com

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7 responses to “Git Cheat Sheet for TFS Users”

  1. Philippe Avatar
    Philippe

    I’m not sure that such a comparison is very useful more than 5 min mostly because when we switch from TFVC to git, we must forget bad practices introduced by the use of tfs…
    But, I can not judged since I migrate long ago (and is the main developer of a tool to never have to use TFVC anymore…)
    Anyway… 😉
    I mostly disagree with “shelve=stash”. Because, nearly 100% of the time, you instead should use a branch. A stash should be a very temporary place to use between 2 commands needing a clean workspace and not a place where to store changes. And once you have made a branch and committed your changes, you are assured to NEVER loose your work (not like with tfs…)

  2. Wahid Avatar
    Wahid

    I just joined a company that is a MS shop but uses Git as the version control tool. Coming from a TFS background, transitioning to Git has been anything but easy. Having said that, I see the “light at the end of the tunnel” and start to appreciate the benefits of using a distributed version control system vs. a centralized version control system.

  3. […] Coming from TFS world the Git terms will confuse a little bit initially. So hear are the details I followed to understand some of the common tasks of the Git. The following cheat sheet might help you to start with. Table source […]

  4. Sven McSvenson Avatar
    Sven McSvenson

    Your effort is appreciated, Ben, but I’m not exactly sure what the point of this list is. It’s misleading for someone to read this and think that migrating from TFS to GIT is as simple and logical as swapping out terminology. You really have to forget everything that Microsoft has been teaching people since the advent of Source Safe, and start fresh with GIT.

    1. Ben Day Avatar

      Thanks, Sven. That’s good feedback.

  5. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    I found this very helpful. I’m just starting to move from TFS to TFS Git. Thank you for the terminology lesson.

  6. bsool Avatar
    bsool

    That list is exactly what I was looking for, coming from a GIT background getting into TFS.
    I needed to make sure what button I was about to push.

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