Git Tag a Previous Commit - Shell/Bash

Sometimes you might want to tag a previous commit in your Git repository. This can be useful if you want to track specific versions of your code or if you want to mark a major milestone in your project's development. In this tutorial, we will learn how to tag a previous commit using shell/bash commands.

1. Find the Commit ID

The first step is to find the commit you want to tag. You can use the git log command to view the history of your repository and find the commit you are interested in. Once you have found the commit, copy its unique identifier, also known as the commit hash.

$ git log
commit dca2f1ab7d98bea9d5a5e5e5efa5a37c9396cb68 (HEAD -> master)
Author: John Doe <johndoe@example.com>
Date:   Tue Oct 12 15:00:00 2021 -0400

    Add new feature

commit a4cf20eb551bc1c83004176a49bfb8becd678a51
Author: John Doe <johndoe@example.com>
Date:   Tue Oct 05 10:00:00 2021 -0400

    Update documentation

commit c15d74cc9ac4e99c35e60e71b8ea4b2ff5202c31
Author: Jane Doe <janedoe@example.com>
Date:   Mon Oct 04 12:00:00 2021 -0400

    Initial commit

2. Create the Tag

Once you have found the commit you want to tag, you can create a new tag using the git tag command. You can use any name for your tag, but it is recommended to use a version number or a descriptive name that indicates the purpose of the tag.

$ git tag v1.0.0 a4cf20eb551bc1c83004176a49bfb8becd678a51

In this example, we are creating a new tag named v1.0.0 for the commit with the hash a4cf20eb551bc1c83004176a49bfb8becd678a51.

3. Verify the Tag

You can verify that the tag has been created by using the git tag command without any arguments. This command will list all the tags in your repository.

$ git tag
v1.0.0

4. Push the Tag

By default, new tags are not pushed to remote repositories. If you want to make the tag available to other users, you need to push it to the remote repository using the git push command.

$ git push origin v1.0.0

This command will push the v1.0.0 tag to the origin remote repository.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have learned how to tag a previous commit in your Git repository using shell/bash commands. By following these steps, you can create tags to mark important versions of your code and make them available to other users.