How to Delete Commit in Git?

Deleting a commit in Git can be done in several ways, depending on whether the commit is local or has already been pushed to a remote repository. Here’s an article on how to delete a commit in Git, covering both recent and older commits, as well as considerations for working with remote repositories.

Deleting the Most Recent Commit

If the commit only exists in your local repository and you want to delete the most recent commit, use:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

• `HEAD~1` refers to the commit immediately before the latest one.
• `--hard` resets your working directory to match the commit, discarding any changes in your working directory and staging area.

Caution: This will delete any uncommitted changes. Ensure you commit or stash changes you want to keep before running this command.

If the commit has already been pushed to a remote repository, you’ll need to force push the changes:

git push origin HEAD --force

Warning: Force-pushing rewrites history on the remote branch, which can affect collaborators. Communicate with your team before doing this.

Deleting an Older Commit

If you need to delete an older commit, you can use an interactive rebase:

• Start an interactive rebase:

   git rebase -i HEAD~N

Note: Replace `N` with the number of commits you want to go back.

• In the interactive editor that opens, find the commit you want to delete and remove its line.
• Save and close the editor. Git will rewrite the history without the deleted commit.
• Force push the updated history to the remote repository:

   git push origin HEAD --force

Using `git revert` for a Safer Alternative

If the commit has already been pushed to a shared repository, a safer approach is to use `git revert`. This command creates a new commit that undoes the changes of a specified commit without rewriting history.

To revert a specific commit:

git revert <commit_hash>

Replace `<commit_hash>` with the hash of the commit you want to revert. This creates a new commit that reverses the changes, preserving the commit history.

Example Scenario

Let’s say you want to delete the most recent commit:

• Run:

 git reset --hard HEAD~1

• If the commit was pushed to the remote repository, force push the changes:

   git push origin main --force

For deleting an older commit, assuming the last 3 commits:

• Run:

   git rebase -i HEAD~3

• In the editor, delete the line corresponding to the commit you want to remove.
• Save and close the editor.
• Force push the changes:

   git push origin main --force

Summary

• `git reset --hard HEAD~1`: Deletes the most recent commit locally.
• `git rebase -i HEAD~N`: Deletes an older commit interactively.
• Force pushing: Necessary when the commits have been pushed to a remote repository (`git push origin HEAD --force`).
• `git revert <commit_hash>`: Safer alternative for shared repositories, preserving history by creating a new commit that undoes the specified commit.

Use these commands responsibly, especially when working with shared repositories, to avoid disrupting your team's workflow.