How to Show the Changes Which Have Been Staged in Git

Version control is a critical component of modern software development, and Git is one of the most powerful and widely used version control systems available. Git’s staging area is one of its most crucial features, as it enables developers to have certain changes ready before committing them to the repository.

If you are working with Git, you’ll often want to review changes that have been staged before committing them. This ensures that you’re only committing exactly what you intended. Everything you need to know about seeing staged changes in Git will be covered in this article, including:

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What staged changes are

• How the Git workflow operates
• Commands to view staged changes
• Real-world examples
• Common mistakes

Best practices

Understanding Git’s Staging Area

• What Is the Staging Area?

The staging area (also called the index) in Git is a middle ground between your working directory and your repository. When you make changes to your files, those changes are first reflected in your working directory. You then use git add to stage those changes, effectively telling Git, “These are the changes I want to commit.”

Once the changes are staged, they remain in the staging area until you use git commit, which records the staged changes into your repository history.

• Why the Staging Area Matters

The staging area allows you to

Selectively commit changes

Break up large changes into logical commits

Review and verify what will be committed

Git Workflow Basics: Where Staged Changes Fit In

Here’s a simplified overview of the Git workflow:

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Working Directory ➝ (git add) ➝ Staging Area ➝ (git commit) ➝ Repository

Each step allows you to inspect or modify what’s going into your project history.

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Commands to Show Staged Changes

Let’s look at several Git commands you can use to see what has been staged.

1. git diff –cached or git diff –staged

The most popular command for viewing staged changes is this one.

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git diff –cached

–cached and –staged are synonyms. They display the variations between the most recent commit and the staging area.

This command will output a unified diff format showing what has changed in the staged files.

Example:

You edited file.txt and ran:

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git add file.txt

git diff –cached

Output:

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diff –git a/file.txt b/file.txt

index e69de29..4b825dc 100644

— a/file.txt

+++ b/file.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@

+Hello World

+This is a staged change.

2. git diff

Git diff alone, on the other hand, only displays unstaged changes, or variations between the staging area and the working directory.

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git diff           # Shows what has NOT been staged

git diff –cached  # Shows what HAS been staged

3. git status

Git status gives you a summary of the condition of your working directory and staging area, but it is not a diff viewer.

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git status

Output:

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On branch main

Changes to be committed:

  (use “git reset HEAD <file>…” to unstage.)

    modified:   file.txt

Changes not staged for commit:

  (use “git add <file>…” to update what will be committed.)

    modified:   another-file.txt

This lets you know which files are staged and unstaged, but not the content changes.

Deep Dive: How Git Diff Works

When you use git diff, Git compares different areas:

This knowledge lets you carefully inspect which changes exist in different states.

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Example Workflow with Staged Changes

Let’s walk through a typical use case:

Step 1: Modify a file

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echo “Hello, Git” >> hello.txt

Step 2: Stage the file

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git add hello.txt

Step 3: Show staged changes

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git diff –cached

Step 4: Review and commit

If everything looks good:

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git commit -m “Add greeting to hello.txt.”

Pro Tips: Viewing Staged Changes

1. View Staged and Unstaged Together

Use both commands for full visibility:

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git diff           # Unstaged

git diff –cached  # Staged

2. Use Visual Tools

Graphical Git clients like GitKraken, Sourcetree, and the VS Code Source Control panel can visually show staged vs. unstaged changes.

3. Colored Diffs

Make sure Git is configured for color to enhance readability:

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git config –global color.ui auto

Advanced Usage Scenarios

Showing Staged Changes for a Specific File

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git diff –cached path/to/file.txt

Staged Changes Between Two Commits (Advanced)

If you want to compare staged changes against another commit (not HEAD):

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git diff <commit-hash> –cached

This is rare but useful for partial commits or cherry-picking.

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions

1. Using git diff and expecting staged output

People often expect git diff to show staged changes, but it only shows unstaged changes.

Correct usage: git diff –cached

2. Not staging before checking

You must run git add before running git diff –cached–cached, or you won’t see any output.

3. Thinking git status shows content changes

 git status shows which files are staged or modified, but not how they are changed.

Staged vs. Committed vs. Working Directory

It’s crucial to understand the difference between these three states:

Using the git diff family of commands lets you inspect differences between these areas.

Complementary Git Tools and Commands

git log -p

Shows commit history along with diffs:

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git log -p

git show

Show what was committed in a specific commit:

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git show <commit-hash>

GUI Git Tools

VS Code Git Panel: See staged vs. unstaged file changes.

Sourcetree: Side-by-side diff for staging.

GitHub Desktop: Great for beginners.

GitKraken: Advanced workflow visualizer.

Best Practices for Staging and Reviewing Changes

1. Always review staged changes before committing

This prevents accidental commits of debug code or incomplete features.

2. Use meaningful commit messages

Reviewing staged changes helps you craft better commit messages.

3. Make atomic commits

Stage and commit related changes together. Use:

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git add -p

To interactively select chunks of changes to stage.

4. Use .gitignore wisely

Avoid staging unnecessary files like logs, temp files, or build artifacts.

Conclusion

Understanding how to show staged changes in Git is a vital part of mastering version control. The command git diff –cached gives you a clear view of exactly what will be committed, helping you write cleaner histories, reduce mistakes, and collaborate more effectively.

By incorporating this into your daily workflow, you’ll become a more efficient and responsible developer.