How to Get List of All Commits in Git?

Git a powerful version control system, keeps track of all changes made to a project by recording each change in a commit. Sometimes, you need to see the complete list of commits to understand the project’s history, track changes, or debug issues.

Listing all commits in a Git repository can be useful for:

• Understanding Project History: Reviewing all changes made over time.
• Tracking Progress: Seeing who made what changes and when.
• Debugging: Identifying when a bug was introduced by looking at changes.
• Documentation: Generating changelogs or release notes.

Here are several ways to list all commits in a Git repository which are as follows:

The `git log` command is the most straightforward way to list all commits.

   git log

This command will display the commits in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent commits first.

For a more concise view, you can use the `–oneline` option with `git log`.

   git log --oneline

This will display each commit on a single line, showing the commit hash and commit message.

You can customize the output of `git log` using various options.

1. Author and Date

   git log --pretty=format:"%h - %an, %ar : %s"

This format shows the abbreviated commit hash, author name, relative date, and commit message.

2. Graphical Representation

   git log --oneline --graph --all

This command provides a visual representation of the commit history, useful for understanding branching and merging.

3. List Commits by a Specific Author

If you want to list commits by a particular author, use the `–author` option.

git log --author="Author Name"

Replace `”Author Name”` with the actual name of the author whose commits you want to list.

4. List Commits Within a Date Range

To list commits within a specific date range, use the `–since` and `–until` options.

git log --since="2023-01-01" --until="2023-12-31"

Adjust the dates as needed to fit your desired range.

5. List Commits with Specific Keywords

If you’re looking for commits with specific keywords in the commit message, use the `–grep` option.

git log --grep="keyword"

Replace `”keyword”` with the term you’re searching for in commit messages.

6. List Commits with File Changes

To see commits that involve changes to a specific file, use the file path at the end of the `git log` command.

   git log -- <file-path>

Replace `<file-path>` with the path to the file you’re interested in.

For a graphical interface to view commits, you can use `gitk`, a graphical history viewer for Git.

gitk

This opens a GUI window displaying the commit history visually.