Flash cards
Review the key moves
What is the main idea behind Git Reflog?
Lesson checks
Practice each idea before moving on
Short Mimo-style checks built from this lesson's code, terms, and sequence.
Which statement best captures the main point of this lesson?
Complete the missing token from the example code.
___ (HEAD -> master) HEAD@{0}: commit: Revert "Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here..."Put the learning moves in the order that makes the concept easiest to apply.
What is Git Reflog?
git reflog records updates to the tip of branches and HEAD.
It lets you see where your branch and HEAD have been, even changes you made by mistake.
This is useful for recovering lost commits or undoing a reset.
When to Use Git Reflog
Use git reflog when you need to:
- Recover lost commits or changes
- Undo a reset or a merge
- See the history of your branch and HEAD
Show the Reflog
To see the history of where HEAD and branches have pointed, use:
Example
git reflog
e56ba1f (HEAD -> master) HEAD@{0}: commit: Revert "Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here..."
52418f7 HEAD@{1}: commit: Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here...
9a9add8 (origin/master) HEAD@{2}: commit: Added .gitignore
81912ba HEAD@{3}: commit: Corrected spelling error
3fdaa5b HEAD@{4}: merge: Merge pull request #1 from ExampleSite-test/update-readme
836e5bf HEAD@{5}: commit: Updated readme for GitHub Branches
...This lists recent positions of HEAD, so you can see actions like commits, resets, merges, and checkouts.
Find and Recover Lost Commits
If you accidentally reset or deleted commits, you can use the reflog to find the commit and restore it.
Each entry in the reflog has a reference like HEAD@{2} .
Example: Undo a Hard Reset
git reflog
e56ba1f (HEAD -> master) HEAD@{0}: commit: Revert "Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here..."
52418f7 HEAD@{1}: commit: Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here...
9a9add8 (origin/master) HEAD@{2}: commit: Added .gitignore
81912ba HEAD@{3}: commit: Corrected spelling error
...
git reset --hard HEAD@{2}
HEAD is now at 9a9add8 Added .gitignoreThis puts your branch back to the state it was in at that point.
Clean Up the Reflog
The reflog is automatically cleaned by Git, but you can manually expire old entries if needed:
Example
git reflog expire --expire=30.days refs/heads/main
git gc --prune=now
Counting objects: 15, done.
Compressing objects: 100% (10/10), done.
Pruning objectsThis removes reflog entries older than 30 days for the main branch and runs garbage collection.
Tips & Best Practices
- Use git reflog regularly to keep track of your changes
- Use git reflog to recover lost commits or changes
- Use git reflog expire to clean up old entries
Troubleshooting
If you encounter issues with git reflog , try:
- Checking the Git documentation for more information
- Searching online for solutions to specific issues
- Seeking help from a Git expert or community
Warnings
Be careful when using git reflog to recover lost commits or changes, as it can overwrite existing changes.