Lifesaving “Git” Commands: Mastering Emergency Situations

Introduction

Git, the widely used version control system, is a powerhouse tool for developers. It allows seamless tracking of changes, collaborative work on projects, and maintaining a complete history of all edits and updates. However, sometimes things can go wrong — a wrong branch merge, accidental commit deletions, or other mishaps. Knowing some advanced Git commands can save the day. Here’s a guide to some of the “secret” lifesaving Git commands that every developer should know.

1. git reflog — Recover Lost Commits

One of Git’s most powerful features for disaster recovery is the reference log (reflog). This command provides a ledger of all the changes that have updated the head of branches in your repo. It’s invaluable for finding lost commits, especially if you've rebased or amended history.

Usage Example:

git reflog
git reset --hard HEAD@{index}  # Reset to a particular state in history

2. git reset — Undoing Changes

If recent commits are causing issues or weren’t intended, git reset is your go-to command. It allows you to roll back to a specific state. Depending on the flag (--soft, --mixed, --hard), it can unstage changes, revert to previous commits, and discard all history of changes.

Usage Example:

git reset --hard HEAD~1  # Revert the most recent…