DevOps

Undoing Git Commits: How to Fix Mistakes in Your Codebase

Git is a powerful version control system that allows you to manage changes to your codebase efficiently. Sometimes, you may need to undo the most recent local commits in Git. This could be because you made a mistake or realized that your changes were not needed. In this blog post, we will show you how to undo the most recent local commits in Git.

Before we begin, it’s essential to understand that Git has two types of undo operations:

  1. Revert: Revert creates a new commit that reverses the changes made by a specific commit, while keeping the history intact.
  2. Reset: Reset removes one or more commits, along with their history. This can be useful when you want to undo changes completely.

Now let’s get started!

Undoing the most recent commit with Revert

If you want to undo the most recent commit, you can use the revert command. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Find the SHA-1 hash of the commit you want to revert to. You can use the git log command to see the commit history.

Step 2: Run the following command:

git revert <SHA-1 hash>

This command creates a new commit that undoes the changes introduced in the specified commit. You can then push this new commit to your remote repository.

Undoing the most recent commit with Reset

If you want to completely remove the most recent commit and all of its changes, you can use the reset command. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Find the SHA-1 hash of the commit you want to reset to. You can use the git log command to see the commit history.

Step 2: Run the following command:

git reset --hard <SHA-1 hash>

This command removes the specified commit and all of its changes. Be careful with this command, as it permanently removes the commit and its history.

Step 3: Finally, force push the changes to your remote repository using the following command:

git push origin HEAD --force

This command overwrites the remote repository’s history with your local changes.

In this blog post, we have shown you how to undo the most recent local commits in Git using the revert and reset commands. Remember to use these commands with caution, as they can have a significant impact on your codebase’s history. If you are unsure about what you are doing, it’s always a good idea to consult with your team before making any changes to the repository.