Command Reference

git reflog

Read reference movement history, which makes reflog one of the most important commands for recovery after reset, rebase, and branch mistakes.

git reflog records where refs such as HEAD have pointed over time. That makes it central to recovery workflows.

Why it matters

After operations like:

  • reset --hard
  • rebase
  • pull
  • branch deletion or history rewrite

the old commits may still exist, but the visible branch name may no longer point at them. Reflog helps you find those older positions.

Common examples

git reflog
git reflog show HEAD
git reset --hard HEAD@{1}
git checkout -b rescue HEAD@{2}

Best workflow

  1. inspect reflog
  2. locate the pre-mistake position
  3. either create a rescue branch or move the ref back

Key distinction

  • git log shows commit history
  • git reflog shows reference movement history

That difference is why reflog is so useful when normal history still exists but your pointer is no longer where you expected.

Related Reads

git init Tutorial

Explains how git init creates a repository, how the initial branch is defined, and how it is used for both new and existing directories.

git clone Tutorial

Explains how git clone copies a repository, what origin means by default, and what local branch setup usually looks like after cloning.

git status Tutorial

Covers how git status shows working tree, staging area, and branch state, and why it should be part of nearly every Git workflow.

Previousgit revert Tutorial

Explains why git revert is the safe way to undo shared commits, and how it differs from reset at the history level.

Nextgit bisect

Use binary search across history to locate the commit that introduced a regression, making it one of the most valuable debugging commands in Git.