Git Revert Merge Commit - Shell/Bash

As a programmer, you may face situations where you need to undo a merge commit. Git provides a command called git revert which can be used to undo a merge commit.

How git revert Works

git revert creates a new commit that undoes the changes made by a previous commit. When you specify a commit to revert, Git considers the changes made by that commit as if they never happened.

This means that if you revert a merge commit, Git will create a new commit that undoes the changes made by the merge, effectively undoing the merge.

Reverting a Merge Commit

To revert a merge commit, you need to first identify the commit you want to revert. You can use git log to view the commit history and find the SHA of the merge commit.

git log --oneline --graph

Once you have identified the commit, you can use git revert to create a new commit that reverts the changes made by the merge commit.

git revert -m 1 <merge-commit-SHA>

The -m 1 option tells Git to revert the changes made by the first parent of the merge commit. This is important because a merge commit has multiple parents.

You will be prompted to enter a commit message for the new commit. Once you have entered a message, Git will create a new commit that undoes the changes made by the merge commit.

Conclusion

Reverting a merge commit can be useful in situations where you need to undo changes made by a merge. Git provides the git revert command for this purpose, which creates a new commit that undoes the changes made by a previous commit.

Remember to always double-check that you are reverting the correct commit, as the git revert command is irreversible and creates a new commit in the process.