Undo a Commit

Introduction

Git is a powerful version control system that allows developers to track changes to their codebase. One of the most useful features of Git is the ability to undo changes that have been committed. In this lab, you will learn how to undo a commit using Git.

Skills Graph

Undo a Commit

Suppose you have made a commit to your Git repository, but you realize that it contains a mistake. You want to undo the commit without rewriting the history of your repository. How can you do this?

To demonstrate how to undo a commit, let's use the repository from https://github.com/labex-labs/git-playground. Follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository, navigate to the directory and configure the identity:

   git clone https://github.com/labex-labs/git-playground
   cd git-playground
   git config --global user.name "your-username"
   git config --global user.email "your-email"

2. View the commit history:

   git log

   You should see a list of commits, each with a unique identifier (a long string of letters and numbers).
3. Select a commit with the message "Added file1.txt" and copy its identifier.
4. Revert the commit using the git revert command:

   git revert <commit>

   Replace <commit> with the identifier of the commit you want to revert.
5. Git will open a text editor and let you enter a commit message, leaving the default message in place.
6. Save and close the text editor.
7. View the commit history again:

   git log

   You should see a new commit that undoes the changes made by the original commit.

This is the result of running the git log command:

commit 0d01f357a798f8960959546750d89a7e56a04a44 (HEAD -> master)
Author: xiaoshengyunan <@users.noreply.github.com>
Date:   Mon Jul 24 21:52:43 2023 +0800

    Revert "Added file1.txt"

    This reverts commit cf80005e40a3c661eb212fcea5fad06f8283f08f.

Summary

Undoing a commit in Git is a useful skill for developers to have. By using the git revert command, you can undo a commit without rewriting the history of your repository. Remember to choose the correct commit to revert and to enter a meaningful commit message.