Exploring History

One of Git's greatest strengths is its ability to let you travel through time. Every commit is a snapshot you can inspect, compare, or return to.

Tools for Exploring

Git provides several commands for understanding what happened and when:

• git log — View the commit timeline
• git diff — Compare file versions between states
• git stash — Temporarily shelve uncommitted work
• git reset — Move HEAD and undo commits

The Commit Timeline

Every commit records:

• What changed (the tree/snapshot)
• Who made the change (author)
• When it happened (timestamp)
• Why it was made (commit message)
• What came before (parent commits)

This forms a chain you can walk backwards through at any time.

Three Areas to Compare

When using git diff, you're comparing between three areas:

Working Directory ←→ Staging Area ←→ Last Commit
     (editing)         (git add)       (git commit)

• git diff — Working directory vs. staging area
• git diff --staged — Staging area vs. last commit
• git diff HEAD — Working directory vs. last commit

When Things Go Wrong

Everyone makes mistakes. Git gives you tools to recover:

• Wrong commit message? → git commit --amend
• Committed too early? → git reset --soft HEAD~1
• Need to start over? → git reset --hard HEAD~1
• Work in progress? → git stash to save it for later

In the next exercises, you'll practice each of these tools.