Git History

Git keeps a detailed record of every change made to your project. You can use history commands to see what changed, when, and who made the change. This is useful for tracking progress, finding bugs, and understanding your project's evolution.

• Show full commit history git log --oneline

• Show details of a specific commit git diff - See unstaged changes git diff --staged - See staged changes

Make frequent, meaningful commits to keep your history clear. Write clear commit messages so you and your team can understand changes later. Use git log --oneline for a quick overview of your commit history. Use git diff before committing to review your work. See Commit History ( git log ) Show a detailed list of all commits in your repository:

Example: Full Commit History git log commit 09f4acd3f8836b7f6fc44ad9e012f82faf861803 (HEAD -> master)

Updated index.html with a new line This command shows all commits, including author, date, and message. Use the arrow keys to scroll, and press q to quit.

While viewing the log, you can search for a word by typing / followed by your search term (for example, /fix ), then press n to jump to the next match.

at any time to quit. Show Commit Details (

) See all the details and changes for a specific commit:

Example: Show Commit Details git show 09f4acd commit 09f4acd3f8836b7f6fc44ad9e012f82faf861803 (HEAD -> master)

Updated index.html with a new line

@@ ... +

This command shows everything about a commit: who made it, when, the message, and the exact changes. Compare Changes ( git diff ) See what is different between your working directory and the last commit (unstaged changes):

Example: See Unstaged Changes git diff diff --git a/index.html b/index.html index 1234567..89abcde 100644

@@ ...

+

This command shows changes you have made but not yet staged for commit. Compare Staged Changes ( git diff --staged ) See what is different between your staged files and the last commit:

Example: See Staged Changes git diff --staged diff --git a/index.html b/index.html index 1234567..89abcde 100644

@@ ...

+

This command shows changes that are staged and ready to be committed. Compare Two Commits (

) See what changed between any two commits:

Example: Compare Two Commits git diff 1234567 89abcde diff --git a/index.html b/index.html index 1234567..89abcde 100644

@@ ...

+

This command shows the differences between two specific commits. Show a Summary of Commits ( git log --oneline ) Show a short summary of each commit (great for a quick overview):

Example: Oneline Log git log --oneline 09f4acd Updated index.html with a new line 8e7b2c1 Add about page 1a2b3c4 Initial commit This command shows each commit on a single line for easy reading. Show Commits by Author ( git log --author="Alice" ) See only the commits made by a specific author:

Example: Commits by Author git log --author="Alice" commit 1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h9i0j

This command filters the log to show only commits by the author you specify. Show Recent Commits ( git log --since="2 weeks ago" ) See only commits made in the last two weeks:

Example: Recent Commits git log --since="2 weeks ago" commit 09f4acd3f8836b7f6fc44ad9e012f82faf861803

Updated index.html with a new line This command shows only the commits made in a recent time frame. Show Files Changed Per Commit ( git log --stat ) See which files were changed in each commit and how many lines were added or removed:

Example: Log with Stats git log --stat commit 09f4acd3f8836b7f6fc44ad9e012f82faf861803

Updated index.html with a new line

index.html | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) This command adds a summary of file changes to each commit in the log. Show a Branch Graph ( git log --graph ) See a simple ASCII graph of your branch history (great for visualizing merges):

Example: Log with Graph git log --graph --oneline * 09f4acd Updated index.html with a new line * 8e7b2c1 Add about page |\

|/ This command shows a simple graph of your branch and merge history.

Make sure you have committed your work. Uncommitted changes won't appear in the history.

Use git log --oneline or git log --since to make it easier to read.

to exit the log or diff view.

Exploring your history helps you understand what changed, when, and why.