Reversing a Historical Development Restoring Git Push's Original Commit History

Recovering Your Git Commit History: A Step-by-Step Guide

I had my user.name and user.email set improperly, which I found after a month of hard effort on a personal project. Even after I made these corrections, I discovered long later that the incorrect author name was still there in my previous commits. I tried a git rebase in an attempt to update my contribution graph by changing these commits.

But by doing so, the commit dates were unintentionally changed, giving the impression that all of the commits were made at once. After such an unintentional modification, this tutorial tries to assist you in regaining your original commit history so that your contributions are appropriately reflected.

Command	Description
git reflog	Shows the history of all repository modifications, including rebases and resets, in the reference log.
git reset --hard	Deletes all modifications made to the working directory and staging area and resets the current branch to the chosen commit.
git push --force	Compels local changes to be pushed to the remote repository, erasing any previous conflicts.
git filter-branch --env-filter	Applies a filter to every commit, rewriting Git history and enabling changes to environment variables like author and committer data.
WRONG_EMAIL="wrong@example.com"	Creates a variable to track the erroneous email address that was used for previous commits.
CORRECT_NAME="Correct Name"	Establishes a variable to indicate which name should be changed in the revised history.
CORRECT_EMAIL="correct@example.com"	Sets a variable to indicate which email address should be used in lieu of the old one in the updated history.
export GIT_COMMITTER_NAME	Sets the committer name to the given value for rewritten commits.
export GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL	Sets the committer email to the given value for rewritten commits.
export GIT_AUTHOR_NAME	Modifies the author name to the chosen value for rewritten commits.
export GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL	Modifies the author email to the designated value for rewritten commits.
--tag-name-filter cat	Makes certain that tags are rewritten using the given filter as well.

Comprehending Restoration of Git History

The scripts offered are meant to rectify and restore Git's commit history, especially in cases where an inadvertent rebase has changed commit dates. In the first script, the commit hash is found before the rebase process by utilizing . This command shows a history of all repository modifications, including resets and rebases. Upon locating the relevant commit hash, the branch is reset to that commit using the command, thereby erasing all subsequent modifications. This is an important step since it restores the repository to its previous state prior to the incorrect rebase. The local modifications are then pushed to the remote repository using the command, overwriting the previous history with the reset branch.

The purpose of the second script is to update the commit author details without changing the commit dates. With the use of the command, environment variables like author and committer details can be changed across all commits. To detect the inaccurate details and describe the new, correct ones, variables such as , , and CORRECT_EMAIL are defined. Next, the script updates the committer details using and ; likewise, it updates the author details using and export GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL. The option guarantees that tags are rewritten using the given filters as well. This script can be used to rewrite the commit history with the correct author information without affecting the original commit dates.

# Step 1: Identify the commit hash before the rebase
git reflog
# Look for the commit hash before the rebase operation
# Step 2: Reset the branch to the commit before the rebase
git reset --hard <commit_hash>
# Step 3: Verify the reset
git log
# Ensure the commit history is back to its original state
# Step 4: Force push the reset history to the remote repository
git push --force

# Step 1: Rewrite author information without altering commit dates
git filter-branch --env-filter '
WRONG_EMAIL="wrong@example.com"
CORRECT_NAME="Correct Name"
CORRECT_EMAIL="correct@example.com"
if [ "$GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL" = "$WRONG_EMAIL" ]
then
    export GIT_COMMITTER_NAME="$CORRECT_NAME"
    export GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL="$CORRECT_EMAIL"
fi
if [ "$GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL" = "$WRONG_EMAIL" ]
then
    export GIT_AUTHOR_NAME="$CORRECT_NAME"
    export GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL="$CORRECT_EMAIL"
fi'
--tag-name-filter cat -- --branches --tags

Restoring History Using Git Without Losing Data

The use of is another factor to take into account while working with Git history restoration. You can apply the modifications made by previous commits to the current branch with this command. When you have to manually reconstruct a history that was unintentionally changed, it can be quite helpful. For instance, if a rebase or reset goes awry and you would like to add back individual changes, you can utilize to do so. This technique keeps the history of your project intact by preserving the original commit dates and messages.

is an additional helpful command. It displays a history of all the modifications made to the branches' tips and other repository references, even those that are often hidden from view in the . This lets you locate commit hashes that may have been overwritten or lost during unfavorable resets or rebases. Using a combination of and git reset --hard, you can revert modifications by restoring your branch to a former state. Furthermore, it's crucial to occasionally take snapshots of the status of your repository using . Tags come in handy because they let you annotate particular historical moments that can be undone in the event of serious problems.

1. What is the purpose of ?
2. It aids in the manual reconstruction of history by applying the modifications made by previous commits to the current branch.
3. What role does play in the preservation of the past?
4. It facilitates the recovery of lost commits by displaying a history of all modifications made to branch tips and references.
5. What does mean?
6. It erases all modifications made to the working directory and staging area and resets the current branch to a certain commit.
7. What is the use of tags in Git?
8. Tags take snapshots of the repository's state, which can be restored in the event that serious problems develop.
9. : Why use it?
10. To apply filters to the past, changing author and committer details across all commits, in order to rewrite history.
11. What distinguishes a from an ordinary push?
12. Regardless of conflicts, it compels the local changes to replace the remote repository.
13. When is it OK to use ?
14. When you need to reset the branch to a certain commit and remove any uncommitted modifications, this should be the method you employ.
15. What safety measures need to be followed while utilizing the ?
16. Because this command rewrites history and can cause data loss if not used correctly, make sure you backup the repository.
17. How can a faulty rebase be undone with the aid of ?
18. By displaying every reference change, you can locate the commit hash from before the rebase and adjust the branch appropriately.

It can be difficult to update the author information in your Git history without altering commit dates, but with the correct commands, it is achievable. Your commit history is secure when you use git reflog to see past states and git filter-branch to change author details. To avoid losing data, always be sure to backup your repository before carrying out such tasks. These actions will support the upkeep of trustworthy and accurate project documentation.