Git Reset Branch - Shell-Bash

As a programmer, you may frequently work with Git, the distributed version control system. One of the common operations in Git is resetting a branch. In this article, we’ll discuss how we can reset a branch using Shell-Bash commands.

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure that you have Git installed on your local machine. You can check if Git is installed by running the following command in your terminal:

git --version

If Git is not installed, you can download it from the official Git website.

Git Reset Command

The git reset command is used to undo changes in a Git repository. There are three different modes of resetting: soft, mixed, and hard.

Soft Reset

A soft reset is the safest method of resetting a branch. It only resets the pointer of the branch, but leaves the changes in the staging area and working directory intact. You can perform a soft reset using the following command:

git reset --soft [commit]

Replace [commit] with the commit ID you want to reset your branch to. For example, to reset your branch to the previous commit, you can run:

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Mixed Reset

A mixed reset is the default mode of resetting a branch. It resets the pointer of the branch and the changes in the staging area, but leaves the changes in the working directory intact. You can perform a mixed reset using the following command:

git reset [commit]

Replace [commit] with the commit ID you want to reset your branch to. For example, to reset your branch to the previous commit, you can run:

git reset HEAD~1

Hard Reset

A hard reset is the most dangerous mode of resetting a branch. It resets the pointer of the branch, the changes in the staging area, and the changes in the working directory. It will permanently discard all your uncommitted changes, so make sure you have a backup of your changes beforehand. You can perform a hard reset using the following command:

git reset --hard [commit]

Replace [commit] with the commit ID you want to reset your branch to. For example, to reset your branch to the previous commit and discard all your changes, you can run:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed how we can reset a branch using Shell-Bash commands. Remember to use the git reset command with caution, especially the hard reset mode, which can permanently discard your changes. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.