Git Reflog

Learn how to recover lost commits using git reflog

Git Reflog

Git reflog records when the tips of branches and other references were updated in your local repository. It's your safety net for recovering lost commits.

Basic Usage

# Show reflog for current branch
git reflog

# Show reflog for specific branch
git reflog feature-branch

# Show all refs
git reflog --all

Understanding Reflog Output

# Example reflog output
a1b2c3d HEAD@{0}: commit: Add user authentication
b2c3d4e HEAD@{1}: checkout: moving from main to feature-branch
c3d4e5f HEAD@{2}: reset: moving to HEAD~1
d4e5f6g HEAD@{3}: commit: Fix login bug

Recovery Scenarios

Recover Deleted Branch

# Find the commit before branch deletion
git reflog

# Recreate branch from reflog entry
git checkout -b recovered-branch HEAD@{3}

Undo Hard Reset

# Find the commit before reset
git reflog

# Reset back to that commit
git reset --hard HEAD@{2}

Recover Amended Commit

# Find original commit before amend
git reflog

# Create branch from original commit
git branch recovery HEAD@{1}

Common Recovery Commands

Reset to Previous State

# Reset to specific reflog entry
git reset --hard HEAD@{5}

# Reset keeping changes staged
git reset --soft HEAD@{2}

Cherry-pick Lost Commits

# Pick specific commit from reflog
git cherry-pick HEAD@{4}

Create Branch from Reflog

# Create branch from reflog entry
git branch recovery-branch HEAD@{3}

Reflog Options

# Show with dates
git reflog --date=iso

# Show specific number of entries
git reflog -10

# Show for specific time period
git reflog --since="2 days ago"

Best Practices

  • Check reflog before major operations
  • Reflog entries expire after 90 days by default
  • Each repository has its own reflog
  • Reflog is local-only, not shared with remotes

Limitations

  • Reflog doesn't track uncommitted changes
  • Only available in local repository
  • Entries eventually expire
  • Can't recover deleted files that were never committed

Free Resources