Viewing your commit history is essential to understand the changes made over time in a Git repository. Git provides powerful commands to review past commits, their authors, messages, and more.
🔍 Common Ways to View Commit History
1. Basic Commit Log
Run this command to see a simple list of commits:
git log
This shows commits in reverse chronological order, including:
- Commit hash (unique ID)
- Author name & email
- Date
- Commit message
2. One-line Summary of Commits
For a concise overview:
git log --oneline
Output example:
a1b2c3d Fix header layout
e4f5g6h Add login feature
...
Each commit is shown as a short hash plus message.
3. Pretty Format and Graph View
To visualize branches and merges:
git log --graph --oneline --all --decorate
--graphshows the branch structure with ASCII art--allshows all branches--decorateshows branch and tag names
4. Limit the Number of Commits
To see only the last 5 commits:
git log -5
5. View Changes in Each Commit
To see diffs introduced by each commit:
git log -p
🧠 Tips for Browsing History
- Use arrow keys to scroll through
git logoutput; pressqto quit - Combine with
grepto search commit messages:git log --grep="bug fix" - Check history of a specific file:
git log -- filename.txt
Summary Table
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
git log | Show detailed commit history |
git log --oneline | Show compact commit list |
git log --graph --oneline --all | Show visual graph of commits and branches |
git log -5 | Show last 5 commits |
git log -p | Show diffs introduced by commits |
