In Git, stashes are used to store the added changes to the working directory locally and enable developers to retrieve them when required. It becomes difficult when developers need to switch between contexts. Therefore, Git permits developers to keep changes that they might need at a later stage. It is a fast way to clean their working directory while keeping modifications intact. More specifically, the “git stash pop” command and “git stash apply” command are also used to throw away the stash and leave it within the stash list for later use.

In this blog, we will do a comparison between git stash apply and git stash pop for restoring the file.

Comparison Between “git stash apply” and “git stash pop” for File Restore

To perform a reverting files operation using the git stash apply and git stash pop command, we will create and add a new file to the repository. Next, commit changes to update the Git directory. Then, remove the file from the Git repository and run the “git stats” command to save the working directory and index state. Lastly, we will restore the file, remove the changes from the stash, and reapply by utilizing the “git stash pop” command.

Let’s implement the discussed scenario to understand the difference between the above-stated commands!

Step 1: Open Git Bash

Search for the Git terminal using the “Startup” menu and launch it:

Step 2: Move to Git Repository

Run the “cd” command to navigate to the local Git repository:

Step 3: Create File

Now, create a new file by writing out the following “touch” command with the file name:

Step 4: Track Newly Created File

Next, track the file using the below provided command:

Step 5: List Directory Content

Display the list of the content with the help of the “ls” command:

Step 6: Commit Change

Next, commit changes to update the Git repository using the “git commit” command with the commit message:

Step 7: Remove File

To remove the file from the staging area, run the “git rm” command:

Step 8: git stash

Now, execute the “git stash” command to save the working directory and index state:

Step 9: git stash apply

To apply the git stash for file restore, execute the “git stash apply” command:

According to the below output, the modified and deleted files are restored successfully:

Step 10: git stash pop

Now, run the following command to discard the applied modifications from the stash and reapply them to the working copy:

That’s it! We have elaborated on the procedure of reverting the file using git stash apply and git stash pop commands.

Conclusion

To compare git stash pop and git stash apply for file restore, move to the Git directory, and create and add a new file to the repository. Then, commit changes to update the Git directory. Then, remove the file from the Git repository and save the working directory and index state. Next, for file restore, utilize the “git stash apply” command and remove the changes from the stash and reapply by executing the “git stash pop” command. This blog illustrated the method of reverting the files using git stash pop and git stash apply commands.