Revert to a Specific Commit in Git

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To revert a commit in Git using the commit ID in a clean branch, follow these steps. This guide assumes you have a basic understanding of Git and terminal commands.

Pre-requisites:

  • Ensure you have Git installed on your system.
  • Basic familiarity with using the command line or terminal.

Steps to Revert a Commit:

1. Open your Terminal or Command Prompt.

Navigate to your project directory where you wish to revert a commit.

2. Check the Commit History.

To identify the commit you want to revert. Use the command:

git log --oneline

This will display a list of recent commits with their IDs and messages. Note the commit ID of the commit you want to revert.

3. Switch to a Clean Branch (Optional).

If you're not already on a clean branch, it's a good practice to switch to one to avoid any conflicts. Create and switch to a new branch by using:

git checkout -b <new-branch-name>

4. Revert the Commit.

To revert the specific commit, use the command:

git revert <commit-id>

Replace <commit-id> with the actual ID of the commit you found earlier. Git will create a new commit that undoes the changes made by the specified commit.

5. Handle Any Merge Conflicts.

If Git indicates any merge conflicts, resolve them by editing the conflicted files, then add and commit those changes.

git add .
git commit -m "Resolved merge conflicts while reverting"

6. Push the Changes (If Necessary)

If you're working on a shared repository (e.g. GitHub), push the changes to the remote repository:

git push origin <new-branch-name>

7. Verify the Reversion.

Finally, verify that the commit has been successfully reverted by checking the commit history again:

git log --oneline

Wrapping Up

These steps outline a safe way of reverting to any commit without affecting the integrity of your project.

Remember, reverting creates a new commit that undoes the changes, so it's a safe operation that doesn't alter the project's history.