Undoing Recent Local Git Commits

The Challenge

You’ve made one or more commits locally that you want to undo. How can you effectively reverse these commits without losing your work?

Solutions

1. Using git reset to Undo Commits The git reset command allows you to move your branch pointer to a previous commit. a. Soft Reset (keeps changes staged):

   git reset --soft HEAD~1  # Undo last commit

b. Mixed Reset (default, unstages changes):

   git reset HEAD~1  # Undo last commit and unstage changes

c. Hard Reset (discards changes):

   git reset --hard HEAD~1  # Undo last commit and discard changes

To undo multiple commits, replace 1 with the number of commits to undo.

2. Preserving History with git revert If you want to keep a record of the undo action:

   git revert HEAD  # Creates a new commit that undoes the last commit

3. Recovering from Hard Reset If you’ve used git reset --hard and need to recover:

   git reflog  # View recent actions
   git checkout -b recovery-branch <commit-hash>  # Create a new branch at the lost commit

Best Practices and Tips

• Always use git log to confirm which commits you’re undoing.
• For collaborative branches, prefer git revert over git reset to maintain history.
• Use git stash to temporarily save uncommitted changes before resetting.
• Remember that git reflog entries expire after 90 days by default.

Example Workflow

1. Undo last commit, keeping changes staged:

   git reset --soft HEAD~1
   # Make additional changes if needed
   git commit -m "New commit message"

2. Undo multiple commits and recommit:

   git reset HEAD~3  # Undo last 3 commits
   git add .
   git commit -m "New commit combining previous work"

By understanding these techniques, you can confidently manage your local commit history and recover from mistakes in Git.

Would you like more information on any specific aspect of undoing commits in Git?