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1. Verify where you are before changing anything
A VPS may contain several applications, staging checkouts, and release directories. Git operates on whichever repository the shell is currently inside, so begin every maintenance session by checking location and state.
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pwd
git status --short --branch
git branch --show-current
git remote -vpwdconfirms the absolute path. Make sure it is the intended application checkout, not a similarly named staging or backup directory.git status --short --branchshows the current branch and whether files are modified, staged, or untracked. A clean result is easiest to reason about; if it is not clean, understand every change before pulling.git branch --show-currentprints the branch that would receive an update. Production should remain on the branch your deployment process expects.git remote -vdisplays the fetch and push URLs. Confirm the repository and host before you download or publish anything.
Do not proceed merely because a command succeeds. A successful pull in the wrong directory or on the wrong branch can still deploy the wrong code.
2. Clone a repository or correct its remote
Clone into the application path
git clone [email protected]:ORG/REPO.git /srv/app
cd /srv/appThe final argument to git clone is the target directory. Choose a path owned by the deployment account rather than routinely operating as root.
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Add or replace a remote in an existing checkout
git remote add origin [email protected]:ORG/REPO.git
git remote set-url origin [email protected]:ORG/REPO.gitorigin is the conventional remote name, but the name itself is not special. SSH remotes require a key pair and repository permission for the account running Git. HTTPS can be appropriate where outbound SSH is blocked or where an organization mandates an HTTPS credential policy. The unauthenticated git:// protocol should not be used for sensitive operations.
GitHub documents SSH URLs both for cloning and for securely deploying code to production servers. Keep the remote in the checkout that actually runs the service, and verify it again immediately before a release.
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git branch -a
git switch main
git switch -c feature/name
git log --oneline --decorate --graph -n 20
git show --stat --oneline HEADChoose the intended branch
git branch -a lists local and remote-tracking branches. Switch a production checkout explicitly:
git switch mainUse the branch name required by your deployment process; it may be main, a release branch, or another project-specific name. For isolated work, git switch -c feature/name creates and checks out a new branch in one operation. Avoid creating feature branches inside a production checkout unless that is deliberately part of your deployment design.
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Read what is about to be deployed
git log --oneline --decorate --graph -n 20 gives a compact view of recent ancestry and branch pointers. git show --stat --oneline HEAD summarizes the current commit and the paths it changed. These checks help you identify an unexpected branch or a release that already contains changes you did not intend to run.
4. Stage and commit only deliberate changes
git diff
git add path/to/file
git diff --cached
git commit -m "Describe the change"Review unstaged work
git diff shows edits that are present in the working tree but are not staged. On a VPS, those edits may be emergency diagnostics, generated files, or secrets accidentally written into the checkout. Identify them before any integration command.
Create a precise snapshot
Use git add path/to/file to stage selected paths instead of automatically adding everything. Then run git diff --cached. This is the exact snapshot the next commit will contain, so check configuration files, credentials, generated assets, and unrelated edits one last time. A commit records the staged snapshot; it does not automatically include every modified file in the directory.
Write a message that identifies the change, such as git commit -m "Rotate API timeout handling". Keep secrets out of Git. Store environment-specific values in an environment file or secret manager excluded by .gitignore.
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5. Fetch first, then decide how to integrate
git fetch origin
git log --oneline HEAD..origin/main
git diff HEAD...origin/maingit fetch downloads objects and updates remote-tracking references such as origin/main; it does not merge those commits into the checked-out branch or modify your current files. That makes it the safer inspection step for production. The two inspection commands show commits present remotely but not locally and the combined difference between the local tip and the remote branch.
Fetching also exposes a local checkout that has drifted without immediately changing the running code. Once you understand the difference, select an integration policy explicitly.
6. Pull with an explicit integration policy
git pull --ff-only origin main
# or, when your project policy allows a merge:
git pull --no-rebase origin main
# or, when your project policy requires rebasing:
git pull --rebase origin main| Policy | History rewritten? | Can create a merge commit? | Conflict presentation | Production suitability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
--ff-only |
No | No | Stops when the local branch cannot be advanced directly; no automatic conflict resolution occurs. | Safest default for a checkout that should mirror a tested linear branch. |
--no-rebase |
No existing commits are rewritten | Yes, when local and remote histories diverge | Conflicts are resolved during the merge, followed by a merge commit. | Use only when the project intentionally records merge commits. |
--rebase |
Local, unpublished commits are replayed with new IDs | No merge commit for the replayed work | Conflicts appear one commit at a time during the rebase. | Appropriate only when the project requires a rebased history and the local commits are safe to rewrite. |
A pull normally performs a fetch and then integrates the selected remote branch. Git supports configuring the same choice with pull.rebase=false for merge behavior or pull.rebase=true for rebase behavior, but an explicit command is clearer during a release. Do not let an implicit default decide how a shared production branch changes.
Fast-forward-only update procedure
- Confirm a clean or understood working tree with
git status --short --branch. - Fetch with
git fetch origin. - Inspect
git log --oneline HEAD..origin/mainandgit diff HEAD...origin/main. - Run
git pull --ff-only origin main. - Record the resulting commit with
git rev-parse --short HEADand run the application’s deployment checks.
7. Push changes and establish upstream tracking
git push -u origin main
git push
git push origin feature/namegit push -u origin main publishes the local main branch and records origin/main as its upstream. Later, an argument-less git push can use that association. To publish a differently named branch without changing the current branch, use git push origin feature/name.
Push from the account and checkout intended for the operation. Before publishing, inspect git diff --cached if you have a commit staged, and inspect git log to ensure you are not about to send emergency or environment-specific files.
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8. Fix a non-fast-forward push rejection
A non-fast-forward rejection means the remote branch contains commits your local branch does not have. The remote must be fetched and integrated before Git will accept a normal push.
git fetch origin
git log --oneline --left-right HEAD...origin/main
git rebase origin/main # or merge, according to project policy
# resolve conflicts, then:
git add <resolved-files>
git rebase --continue # if rebasing
git pushChoose rebase or merge deliberately
- Use rebase only for local commits that the project permits rewriting. Resolve each conflict, stage the corrected file, and continue with
git rebase --continue. - Use a merge when the repository policy preserves the existing branch topology or when rewriting local history is not acceptable.
- After either approach, inspect the resulting log and test the application before pushing.
Do not answer a rejection with an unreviewed force push to a shared production branch. Force-pushing can discard commits that other operators rely on; it should require explicit review and a documented recovery plan.
9. Tag releases and remove obsolete remote branches
git tag -a v1.2.0 -m "Release v1.2.0"
git push origin v1.2.0
git push origin --tags
git push origin :old-branchThe first two commands create and publish one annotated release tag. git push origin --tags publishes every local tag, so use it only when that broad action is intended. The colon form deletes a remote branch. Treat both tag publication and branch deletion as controlled release operations: verify the name, branch, and approvals first, and record what was changed.
10. Recover from mistakes without guessing
git diff # unstaged changes
git diff --cached # staged changes
git restore path/to/file # discard unstaged edits in a path
git reflog # locate previous HEAD positions
git reset --hard HEAD # discard all local tracked edits; destructive
git clean -nd # preview untracked files that clean would removeSafe inspection
Use the two git diff forms to determine whether a problem is unstaged or staged. git reflog records previous positions of HEAD and can help locate a commit after an accidental reset, branch switch, or rebase.
Destructive cleanup
git restore path/to/file discards unstaged edits only in the named path. git reset --hard HEAD discards all local tracked edits, so verify the status and preserve any production-only configuration first. git clean -nd is a dry-run preview of untracked files that a clean operation would remove; never skip that preview on a server containing generated or uploaded files.
Keep backups or deployment artifacts when a checkout contains files that do not come from the repository. Git cannot recover data that was never committed or otherwise copied.
11. VPS operating practices that prevent outages
- Use a dedicated unprivileged deployment account. The account should own the checkout and run Git; avoid mixing root-owned files with user-owned files.
- Separate code from secrets. Keep environment files and credentials outside version control, exclude them with
.gitignore, and inspect the staged diff before every commit. - Prefer repeatable deployment. A bare repository with a deployment hook, or a pull-based deployment script, makes releases auditable and repeatable. Do not manually edit a checkout and then overwrite those edits with an unreviewed pull.
- Verify branch and remote immediately before release. Run
git status --short --branch,git branch --show-current, andgit remote -vagain if the session has been open for a while. - Record the deployed revision. Run
git rev-parse --short HEADafter the update and save that value in the deployment log so an operator can identify exactly what is running.
12. SSH or HTTPS for the VPS remote?
| Factor | SSH remote | HTTPS remote |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Key pair and repository permissions for the deployment account. | HTTPS credentials or a token managed according to organizational policy. |
| Firewall compatibility | Requires outbound SSH access to the Git host. | Often works where firewalls allow outbound web traffic but block SSH. |
| Credential handling | Use a dedicated deploy key or account key with limited access; protect the private key. | Avoid embedding long-lived credentials in remote URLs; use the approved credential helper or secret mechanism. |
| Unattended deployment | Convenient once keys and permissions are correctly configured. | Useful when HTTPS is mandated, provided non-interactive credentials are securely supplied. |
Neither scheme removes the need to verify the repository and branch. Choose SSH when your network and key-management policy support it; choose HTTPS when firewall or credential requirements make it the operationally safer route.
Quick Recap
13. A concise production update checklist
- Change to the intended directory and run
pwd. - Check
git status --short --branch, the current branch, andgit remote -v. - Confirm secrets and production-only files are not tracked or about to be overwritten.
- Run
git fetch originand inspect incoming commits and the diff. - Integrate with
git pull --ff-only, or the explicitly approved merge/rebase policy. - Run the application’s tests, build, migration, and service-restart checks required by your deployment process.
- Record
git rev-parse --short HEADin the release log. - If a push is required, establish tracking with
git push -uand never force-push a shared production branch without review.
What each command protects you from
status,branch, andremotechecks prevent operating on the wrong checkout or destination.fetchplus inspection prevents an unseen remote change from being merged into production blindly.- Explicit pull policies prevent accidental merge commits or history rewrites.
- Selective staging and
diff --cachedkeep secrets and unrelated edits out of commits. - Upstream tracking makes routine pushes predictable.
- Reflog, dry-run cleaning, and recorded commit IDs make recovery and auditing possible.
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