How do I show the changes which have been staged in Git ?

To view the changes you’ve staged (added to Git’s staging area) but not yet committed, use the git diff --staged (or git diff --cached) command. Here’s how it works, with examples:

1. Basic Command

git diff --staged

git diff --cached  # --staged and --cached are aliases

This shows a diff between the staging area (changes you’ve added with git add) and the last commit.

Example Output:

diff --git a/file.txt b/file.txt
index 1234567..89abcde 100644
--- a/file.txt
+++ b/file.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 Hello World!
-This line was removed.
+This line was added.

2. View Changes for a Specific File

To see staged changes for a single file:

git diff --staged -- path/to/file.txt

3. Summary of Staged Changes

For a simplified overview (e.g., filenames and line counts):

git diff --staged --stat

Example Output:

file.txt | 2 +-
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

4. Alternative: `git status -v`

git status -v shows the staged changes in diff format at the bottom:

git status -v

5. Key Notes

Unstaged vs. Staged:
git diff → Shows unstaged changes (not yet added with git add).
git diff --staged → Shows staged changes (ready to commit).
No Output? If nothing appears, there are no staged changes.

Example Workflow

Modify file.txt and stage it:

   git add file.txt

View staged changes:

   git diff --staged

Extra: Preview Before Committing

Use git commit -v to include the staged diff in your commit message editor:

git commit -v

This ensures you review the exact changes before finalizing the commit.