TL;DR

  • git status -> what is going on.
  • git reset HEAD^ -> rollback the latest commit, locally.
  • git reset $hash -> rollback to the specified commit.
  • git reflog -> time machine for Git.
  • Oh Shit, Git!?! -> ultimate guide for Git disasters.

We’ve all been there

Getting stuck in a git hell is part of the developer experience. This is how we, developers, grow.

Maybe you deleted the wrong file, a merge went south, or you ended up in some obscure detached state.

When a senior dev is nearby, you lean on them. But when you’re on your own, what do you do?

Git status

git status is one of the most useful, yet underappreciated, commands in Git.

It show the state of your working directory: which files are modified, whether you’re mid-rebase, or the working directory is clean. When in doubt, run it. It’s your first line of defense.

Git reflog

Meet git reflog. It had saved me out more times than I care to admit, and I bet it’ll rescue you too.

git reflog is Git’s time machine: it records every move your HEAD makes: commits, checkouts, rebases, even the mistakes.
When you lose work, or a branch goes missing, git reflog is how you time-travel back and recover it. It has been proven useful when deleting a local branch too soon.

Here’s how to access the reflog:

$ git reflog
e1c29d4 HEAD@{0}: commit (initial): Initial commit
a123456 HEAD@{1}: commit: Added new feature
...

The hashes on the left are checkpoints.
You can return to any of them with the following command:

git reset $hash

Git Reset HEAD^

The git reset HEAD^ moves the branch pointer to the parent of the current commit, discarding the most recent commit.

$ git log -n 2
commit 123456 (HEAD -> master)
Author: Your Name <your_email@example.com>
Date:   Fri Jan 15 11:45:00 2021 +0000

    Initial Commit

# Reset to the parent of the current commit
$ git reset HEAD^

This command is useful when you want to undo the previous commit.

Oh Shit, Git!?!

For me, git status, reflog and reset HEAD^ fix 99% of git-related headaches. They are my daily survival kit.
But when things get messy, I rely on Oh Shit Git.
Got check it out. It gives great one liners for common git situations.

Final Thoughts

Git hell is inevitable. These commands won’t solve every Git nightmare, nor will Oh Shit Git.
Still, they cover the vast majority of real-world problems, and once you’re comfortable with them, you’ll never feel completely lost in Git again.