In Git, sometimes you may need to undo a commit due to errors or changes in your code. Git offers several commands to help you undo or revert commits depending on your needs and whether the commit has been pushed to a remote repository.
Methods to Undo a Commit in Git
1. Using Git reset
Step 1: First check all your commits
#git log
Output: commits are just examples or sample commits
commit 2: second commit
commit 1: First commit
Perception drawn are as follows:
- commit 2 is the commit you want to undo, the current head is here
- commit1 is the first commit where you want to go after undo
Step 2: To restore everything or undo all the changes we have to reset the commit.
#git reset --soft HEAD^
#git reset --hard HEAD^
Note:
- soft is used if you want to keep your changes
- hard is used if you don't want to keep your changes
Step 3: To check your commit is reset or not
#git log
Output:
commit 1: First commit
//undo the second commit, now head is at first or previous commit
One can clearly see last commit (i.e. second commit) is removed.
2. Using Git revert
Now if we have already made your commit public then you will have to create a new commit which will "revert" the changes you made in your previous commit (current HEAD).
Step 1: Revert your changes
#git revert HEAD
We are now ready for your new commit in order to restore the file that we accidentally have remove with the below command as follows:
#git commit -m
Step 2: Now check your all commits to see the list of commits
#git log
Output:
commit 3: restoring the file that we accidentally remove
commit 2: removing a file we don't need
commit 1: Needed file
Now we can revert your last commit.
Also do note that we use the command below specified to undo the last commits in git where the head is a pointer pointing to the last commit in our branch
git reset HEAD~<no-of-commits>
3. Using git checkout
The git checkout command can be used to create a new branch from a specific commit. This method is helpful when you want to keep the original branch unchanged.
Steps to create a new branch from a specific commit:
1. Identify the commit hash you want to create a branch from.
git log
2. Use the 'git checkout' command to create a new branch.
git checkout -b <new-branch-name> <commit-hash>
Example:
git checkout -b new-feature a1b2c3d
Which command is used to undo the last commit while keeping the changes in the working directory?
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git checkout -b branch HEAD
Explanation:
git reset --soft HEAD^ removes the latest commit but keeps the changes staged, allowing you to recommit or modify.
Which command should be used when you want to undo a public commit without altering commit history?
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git checkout -b newbranch
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Explanation:
git revert HEAD creates a new commit that reverses the previous one, recommended for public/shared repositories to avoid rewriting history.
What is the difference between git reset --soft and git reset --hard?
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Soft deletes commits; hard keeps them
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Soft keeps changes; hard removes them from working directory
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Hard keeps changes staged; soft unstages them
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Explanation:
--soft → keeps all changes unstaged/staged--hard → deletes commits and working directory changes permanently
Which command can be used to undo multiple recent commits?
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git reset HEAD~<no-of-commits>
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Explanation:
git reset HEAD~<number> resets the branch back by defined number of commits.
If you want to explore an older commit without modifying the current branch, what command helps create a new branch from that commit?
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git checkout -b <new-branch-name> <commit-hash>
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Explanation:
git checkout -b newBranch <commit-hash> creates a new branch starting at a specific commit, keeping original branch unchanged.
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