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The Git Revert Command

Table of contents​

  1. Difference between Reset and Revert
  2. Basic syntax
  3. Revert a single commit
  4. Revert several commits
  5. Revert a merge commit
  6. Handling conflicts
  7. Best practices

1 - Difference between Reset and Revert​


Comparison table​

AspectResetRevert
HistoryRewrittenPreserved
New commitNoYes
Shared branch⚠️ Dangerous✅ Safe
TraceabilityLostComplete

Visualization​

Reset: Removes the commits from the history

Avant: A---B---C---D  (HEAD)
Après: A---B  (HEAD)
       C et D sont supprimés

Revert: Creates a new commit that undoes them

Avant: A---B---C---D  (HEAD)
Après: A---B---C---D---D'  (HEAD)
       D' annule les changements de D

When to use which?​

SituationCommand
Local branch, not yet sharedreset
Shared branch (main, develop)revert
You want to keep a tracerevert
You want a clean historyreset (local only)

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2 - Basic syntax​


Revert a commit​

git revert <commit-hash>

Common options​

OptionDescription
-n or --no-commitDo not create a commit automatically
-e or --editEdit the message (default)
--no-editKeep the default message
-m <parent>Specify the parent for a merge commit

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3 - Revert a single commit​


Example​

# Voir l'historique
git log --oneline
# abc1234 feat: add broken feature
# def5678 docs: update readme
# ghi9012 Initial commit

# Revert le commit problématique
git revert abc1234

What happens​

  1. Git opens the editor for the commit message
  2. Default message: Revert "feat: add broken feature"
  3. A new commit is created that undoes the changes

Result​

git log --oneline
# xyz7890 Revert "feat: add broken feature"
# abc1234 feat: add broken feature
# def5678 docs: update readme
# ghi9012 Initial commit

Revert without the editor​

git revert abc1234 --no-edit

Revert with a custom message​

git revert abc1234 -m "fix: revert broken feature due to bug #123"

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4 - Revert several commits​


Method 1: One by one​

git revert abc1234
git revert def5678
git revert ghi9012

Creates 3 revert commits.

Method 2: Range of commits​

# Revert les commits de A à C (A non inclus, C inclus)
git revert A..C

# Exemple : revert les 3 derniers commits
git revert HEAD~3..HEAD

Method 3: Without intermediate commits​

# Préparer tous les reverts sans commiter
git revert --no-commit abc1234
git revert --no-commit def5678
git revert --no-commit ghi9012

# Vérifier les changements
git status
git diff --staged

# Un seul commit pour tout
git commit -m "revert: remove features X, Y, Z"

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5 - Revert a merge commit​


The problem​

A merge commit has two parents. Git doesn't know which one to consider "main".

      A---B---C  feature
     /         \
D---E---F---G---M  main
            ↑   ↑
         parent1 parent2

Solution: Specify the parent​

# -m 1 = garder la ligne principale (main)
git revert -m 1 <merge-commit-hash>

# -m 2 = garder la branche mergée (feature)
git revert -m 2 <merge-commit-hash>

Practical example​

# Voir les parents d'un merge commit
git log --oneline <merge-commit>
# Merge: abc1234 def5678

# Revert en gardant main (généralement -m 1)
git revert -m 1 <merge-commit>

Caution!​

After reverting a merge, if you want to re-merge the same branch later, you will first have to revert the revert:

# 1. Merge initial
git merge feature  # Crée commit M

# 2. Problème, on revert
git revert -m 1 M  # Crée commit R

# 3. Plus tard, on veut re-merger feature
# Mais feature semble déjà mergée !
git merge feature  # "Already up to date"

# 4. Solution : revert le revert
git revert R  # Crée commit R'

# 5. Maintenant on peut continuer avec feature
git merge feature  # Fonctionne !

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6 - Handling conflicts​


Why conflicts?​

If the code has evolved since the commit being reverted, Git may not know how to "undo" it cleanly.

Resolve the conflicts​

# Le revert génère un conflit
git revert abc1234
# CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt

# 1. Voir les fichiers en conflit
git status

# 2. Éditer les fichiers et résoudre les conflits
code file.txt  # ou votre éditeur

# 3. Marquer comme résolu
git add file.txt

# 4. Continuer le revert
git revert --continue

Abort a revert in progress​

git revert --abort

Conflict example​

The file before resolution:

<<<<<<< HEAD
Code actuel après évolutions
=======
Code original (avant le commit à revert)
>>>>>>> parent of abc1234

You must choose which version to keep or combine the two.

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7 - Best practices​


✅ Use revert when...​

  • The branch has been shared (pushed)
  • Other developers have based their work on it
  • You want to keep a clear trace of what happened
  • You need to be able to undo the undo later

❌ Do NOT use revert when...​

  • You are on a private local branch (use reset)
  • You want to clean up the history before a merge

Commit messages​

A good revert message:

Revert "feat: add payment processing"

This reverts commit abc1234.

Reason: Critical bug causing duplicate charges.
Will be reimplemented after fix in #456.
# 1. Identifier le commit problématique
git log --oneline

# 2. Vérifier ce qu'il a changé
git show abc1234

# 3. Faire le revert
git revert abc1234

# 4. Tester que tout fonctionne
npm test  # ou vos tests

# 5. Pousser
git push origin main

Summary​

CommandUsage
git revert <hash>Undo a commit
git revert --no-commit <hash>Prepare without committing
git revert -m 1 <hash>Revert a merge
git revert --abortAbort if there's a problem

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