Stash

Stash saves uncommitted changes (and optionally untracked files) outside the current branch so you can switch context. Entries live on a stack — not a durable work-tracking system.

					git stash push -m "wip login form"
git stash push -u          # include untracked
git stash list
git stash pop              # apply and remove top entry
git stash apply stash@{2}
				

Use for short interruptions: urgent hotfix, review someone else's branch, quick experiment. For work that needs review or spans days, prefer a WIP branch.

On interviews: stashing tracked vs untracked, apply vs pop, naming stashes, and avoiding forgotten hidden work.

Common pitfalls: large stash stacks become invisible debt; stashing before pull then losing track of what was stashed; relying on stash instead of atomic commits.

The trade-off is convenience for context switches versus visibility and reviewability of real branches.

Checklist:

• Use stash for short interruptions only.
• Name stashes when more than one may exist.
• Clear stale stashes deliberately.
• Prefer WIP branches for meaningful partial work.