Git Commit History Cleanup: Complete Guide to Interactive Rebase

git rebase -i <commit-hash>

# Rebase the last 3 commits
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# Or rebase to a specific commit
git rebase -i <commit-hash>

pick abc1234 Initial commit
pick def5678 Add feature A
pick ghi9012 Fix bug in feature A

# Commands:
# p, pick = use commit
# r, reword = use commit, but edit the commit message
# e, edit = use commit, but stop for amending
# s, squash = use commit, but meld into previous commit
# f, fixup = like "squash", but discard this commit's log message
# x, exec = run command (the rest of the line) using shell
# d, drop = remove commit

# In the interactive rebase editor, change 'pick' to 'reword'
reword abc1234 Initial commit
pick def5678 Add feature A
pick ghi9012 Fix bug in feature A

# Save and close the editor
# Git will open another editor for each commit you marked as 'reword'

# Change 'pick' to 'edit'
pick abc1234 Initial commit
edit def5678 Add feature A
pick ghi9012 Fix bug in feature A

# Git will stop at the 'edit' commit
# Make your changes, then:
git add .
git commit --amend
git rebase --continue

# Change 'pick' to 'squash' for commits you want to combine
pick abc1234 Initial commit
pick def5678 Add feature A
squash ghi9012 Fix bug in feature A

# Git will combine the commits and open an editor for the new message

# Use 'fixup' to combine commits without editing the message
pick abc1234 Initial commit
pick def5678 Add feature A
fixup ghi9012 Fix bug in feature A

# The result will be one commit with the message from "Add feature A"

# Change 'pick' to 'drop' to remove commits
pick abc1234 Initial commit
drop def5678 Add feature A
pick ghi9012 Fix bug in feature A

# The "Add feature A" commit will be completely removed

# Change the order of commits in the interactive editor
pick ghi9012 Fix bug in feature A
pick abc1234 Initial commit
pick def5678 Add feature A

# Commits will be applied in the new order

# Mark a commit as 'edit'
edit def5678 Add feature A

# Git will stop here, then:
git reset HEAD~1
git add file1.txt
git commit -m "Add feature A part 1"
git add file2.txt
git commit -m "Add feature A part 2"
git rebase --continue

# If conflicts occur during rebase:
git status  # Check which files have conflicts
# Resolve conflicts manually
git add <resolved-files>
git rebase --continue

# Or abort the rebase entirely:
git rebase --abort

# Rebase your feature branch onto main
git checkout feature-branch
git rebase -i main

# This allows you to clean up commits before merging

# 1. Create a backup branch
git checkout -b backup-branch
git checkout feature-branch

# 2. Start interactive rebase
git rebase -i HEAD~5

# 3. Make your changes in the editor
# 4. Resolve any conflicts
# 5. Test your changes
# 6. Force push if necessary (with caution)
git push --force-with-lease origin feature-branch

# Format: type(scope): description
feat(auth): add OAuth2 authentication
fix(api): resolve user endpoint timeout
docs(readme): update installation instructions
style(ui): format login form components
refactor(database): optimize user queries
test(auth): add authentication unit tests

# Clean up a feature branch before merging
git checkout feature-branch
git rebase -i main

# Typical operations:
pick abc1234 Initial feature implementation
squash def5678 Add tests for feature
fixup ghi9012 Fix linting issues
squash jkl3456 Update documentation

# Clean up bug fix commits
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# Operations:
pick abc1234 Identify bug in user service
squash def5678 Implement fix for user service
squash ghi9012 Add test coverage for fix

# Combine documentation commits
git rebase -i HEAD~4

# Operations:
pick abc1234 Update API documentation
squash def5678 Fix typos in README
squash ghi9012 Add code examples
squash jkl3456 Update installation guide

# During rebase, if conflicts occur:
git status  # See conflicted files
# Edit files to resolve conflicts
git add <resolved-files>
git rebase --continue

# Or abort and start over:
git rebase --abort

# If you accidentally lose commits:
git reflog  # Find the commit hash
git checkout -b recovery-branch <commit-hash>
git checkout feature-branch
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>

# If you need to force push after rebasing:
git push --force-with-lease origin feature-branch

# This is safer than --force as it checks if others have pushed

# Abort current rebase
git rebase --abort

# Skip current commit
git rebase --skip

# Continue after resolving conflicts
git rebase --continue

# View rebase status
git status

# Always create a backup branch before rebasing
git checkout -b backup-feature-branch
git checkout feature-branch

# Or use git reflog to track all operations
git reflog --oneline

# Run your test suite after rebasing
npm test
# or
python -m pytest
# or
go test ./...

# Check that your application still works
npm start
# or
python app.py
# or
go run main.go

# Use --force-with-lease instead of --force
git push --force-with-lease origin feature-branch

# This prevents overwriting others' work