git push

Append-only by default. Force-push only when you mean it.

🎯 What & why

Send commits and refs from your local repo to a remote. Append-only by default — the remote refuses non-fast-forward updates unless you force it.

🧠 Mental model

Push asks the remote to update its refs to point at your commits, sending whatever objects the remote doesn't already have. The remote runs receive-pack to validate (hooks, ACLs, ref-update rules) and then writes refs.

🛠️ Synopsis

git push [--all | --branches | --mirror | --tags] [--follow-tags] [--atomic]
         [-n | --dry-run] [--receive-pack=<git-receive-pack>]
         [--repo=<repository>] [-f | --force] [-d | --delete] [--prune]
         [-v | --verbose] [-u | --set-upstream] [-o <string> | --push-option=<string>]
         [--[no-]signed|--signed=(true|false|if-asked)]
         [--force-with-lease[=<refname>[:<expect>]]] [--force-if-includes]
         [--no-verify] [<repository> [<refspec>...]]

🎚️ Switches & options

Flag	What it does
`-u, --set-upstream`	Set upstream tracking on first push.
`--tags`	Also push tags.
`--follow-tags`	Push tags reachable from the pushed commits.
`--force, -f`	⚠️ Force-push. ⚠️ Overwrites the remote ref. Don't use on shared branches.
`--force-with-lease`	Safer force-push: only if the remote tip is what you expect.
`--force-if-includes`	Belt and suspenders for force-with-lease.
`-d, --delete <ref>`	Delete a ref on the remote.
`--dry-run, -n`	Show what would happen.

💡 Use cases

Publishing your work.
Updating a deployed branch.
Pushing a release tag.

🧪 Examples

First push of a new branch with tracking.

$ git push -u origin feature/login

Push tags reachable from this commit.

$ git push --follow-tags

Safer force-push after rebasing.

$ git push --force-with-lease origin feature/login

Delete a remote branch.

$ git push origin -d feature/old

🎓 Recommendations

Never --force a shared branch. Always --force-with-lease if you must rewrite published history.
Set push.default = current globally so a bare git push only pushes the current branch.
Combine --follow-tags with your release process so tags get to the remote without separate steps.

🪤 Common pitfalls

push --force clobbers anyone else's commits made since the rewrite. --force-with-lease is the safer hammer.
First push of a branch without -u doesn't set up tracking, so future git pull may fail.
Push hooks (server-side) can reject your push with cryptic messages. Read the full output.

🔗 Related modules

📝 Quiz

Hit each option, then Check answers. Score is recorded; Next is always open.