Reflog for finding lost commits in Git - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is git reflog used for?

git reflog shows a log of where your HEAD and branches have been. It helps you find commits that seem lost or unreachable.

beginner

How does git reflog help recover lost commits?

It records every change to HEAD, so you can find the commit hash of lost commits and restore them by checking out or resetting to that hash.

intermediate

What command would you use to reset your branch to a lost commit found in reflog?

You use git reset --hard <commit-hash> to move your branch pointer back to the lost commit.

beginner

True or False: git reflog only shows commits that are part of the current branch.

False. git reflog tracks all HEAD movements, including commits from other branches or detached HEAD states.

intermediate

What is the difference between git log and git reflog?

git log shows the commit history of the current branch. git reflog shows all recent changes to HEAD, including commits that might not be in the current branch history.

What does git reflog record?

A All changes to HEAD and branch pointers

B Only commits pushed to remote

C Only commits merged into main branch

D Only uncommitted changes

git reflog records all changes to HEAD and branch pointers, helping track lost commits.

Which command helps you restore a lost commit found in reflog?

A git checkout <commit-hash>

B git push origin main

C git merge <commit-hash>

D git stash pop

You can use git checkout <commit-hash> to view or restore a lost commit found in reflog.

If you want to move your branch pointer back to a lost commit, which command is best?

A git commit --amend

B git reset --hard <commit-hash>

C git branch -d <branch-name>

D git fetch origin

git reset --hard <commit-hash> moves your branch pointer to the lost commit.

Does git reflog show commits that are not reachable by any branch?

A Only commits pushed to remote

B No, only commits on branches

C Yes, it tracks all HEAD movements

D Only commits merged into main

git reflog tracks all HEAD movements, including commits not reachable by any branch.

What is the main difference between git log and git reflog?

A <code>git log</code> shows stash history; <code>git reflog</code> shows branch history

B <code>git log</code> shows uncommitted changes; <code>git reflog</code> shows commits

C <code>git log</code> shows remote commits; <code>git reflog</code> shows local commits

D <code>git log</code> shows commit history; <code>git reflog</code> shows HEAD changes

git log shows commit history of the branch; git reflog shows all HEAD changes including lost commits.

Explain how you would use git reflog to find and recover a lost commit.

Think about how reflog tracks HEAD movements and how to move your branch pointer.

Describe the difference between git log and git reflog and why reflog is useful for recovering lost commits.

Consider what each command tracks and their purpose.