Git & GitHub Interview Question #49

What is the difference between git stash apply and git stash pop?

Remotes, Fetch, Pull, Push, Merge, Conflicts, Rebase & Stash Mid-Level Intermediate

Quick Interview Answer

git stash apply reapplies a stash but normally keeps the stash entry in the stash list. git stash pop reapplies it and, when successful, removes that stash entry.

Detailed Explanation

git stash apply reapplies a stash but normally keeps the stash entry in the stash list. git stash pop reapplies it and, when successful, removes that stash entry.

apply is useful when you want to keep the saved stash until you verify the result. pop is convenient when you expect the stash to be consumed immediately.

Code Example

git stash list

git stash apply stash@{0}

# Or apply and remove it
git stash pop stash@{0}