Deleting the Last Commit Locally

Using `git reset`

The `git reset` command is a powerful tool that allows you to move the HEAD pointer and optionally modify the index and working directory. To delete the last commit, you typically use the `–hard` or `–soft` options.

Example: Using `–hard` Reset

This option resets the HEAD to the previous commit and discards all changes in the working directory and index.

git reset --hard HEAD~1

This command moves the HEAD to the commit before the last one and removes all changes introduced by the last commit from the working directory and staging area.

Example: Using `–soft` Reset

This option resets the HEAD to the previous commit but keeps the changes in the staging area.

git reset --soft HEAD~1

This command moves the HEAD to the commit before the last one but retains the changes introduced by the last commit in the index (staging area), allowing you to make additional modifications before committing again.

Using `git revert`

If you want to keep a record of the changes but negate the effects of the last commit, you can use the `git revert` command. This creates a new commit that reverses the changes introduced by the last commit.

git revert HEAD

This command generates a new commit that undoes the changes of the last commit, preserving the history of changes.

Git, the popular version control system, provides rich tools for managing changes in your codebase. Sometimes, you may need to delete the last commit due to an error, unnecessary changes, or other reasons. In this article, we will walk you through the steps to safely delete the last commit in Git, whether the commit has been pushed to a remote repository or not.