How do I delete a commit from a branch?

There are several approaches to deleting a commit from a Git branch, depending on what you’re trying to achieve. Below are a few common methods for deleting a commit in Git:

1. Deleting the Most Recent Commit (Using git reset)

If you want to delete the most recent commit and remove it from your branch, you can use the git reset command.

Command:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

• Explanation:
  • HEAD~1 refers to the commit before the most recent commit.
  • --hard will reset both the staging area and working directory to the state of the previous commit, removing the changes in the most recent commit.

If you want to keep the changes in your working directory (not delete them completely):

git reset --soft HEAD~1

• This will remove the commit but keep your changes in the staging area.

2. Deleting a Specific Commit (Using git rebase)

If the commit you want to delete is not the most recent, you can use interactive rebase to remove a specific commit from the branch’s history.

Steps:

1. Start an interactive rebase to the commit just before the one you want to delete:

   git rebase -i HEAD~N
   

   • Replace N with the number of commits to look back in history. For example, HEAD~5 will allow you to modify the last 5 commits.
2. In the editor that opens, you’ll see a list of commits. Each commit will be prefixed with the word pick. To delete a commit, replace pick with drop next to the commit you want to remove.

   Example:

   pick 1234567 Commit message 1
   drop 89abcdef Commit message to delete
   pick 1122334 Commit message 2
   

3. Save and close the editor to apply the rebase.
4. If you encounter conflicts, Git will pause and allow you to resolve them before continuing with:

   git rebase --continue
   

3. Deleting a Commit with git revert (Undoing a Commit)

If you want to undo the changes made by a commit but keep the commit in the history (i.e., not actually deleting it), you can use git revert. This creates a new commit that undoes the changes of the specified commit.

Command:

git revert <commit-hash>

• Explanation:
  • Replace <commit-hash> with the hash of the commit you want to undo.
  • This will create a new commit that reverts the changes from the target commit.

4. Force Pushing Changes (if Already Pushed to Remote)

If you have already pushed the commits to a remote branch, and you want to delete or modify them, you’ll need to force-push the changes after resetting or rebasing.

Command:

git push origin <branch-name> --force

• Explanation:
  • This will forcefully push your local branch (after the commit removal) to the remote, overwriting the history on the remote branch.
  • Be cautious with force pushing, as it rewrites history and may affect collaborators working on the same branch.

5. Deleting Multiple Commits (Using git rebase)

If you want to remove multiple commits, you can do so by using the interactive rebase as explained above, but select multiple commits to drop.

Example:

git rebase -i HEAD~5

In the editor, replace pick with drop for the commits you want to delete.

Important Notes:

• Backup: Before modifying Git history (especially with reset or rebase), it’s a good practice to create a backup branch:

  git branch backup-branch
  

• Force Push Warning: Avoid using git push --force on shared branches (like main or develop) as it can disrupt other developers. It’s safer to use --force-with-lease which ensures you don’t overwrite others’ changes.