view git commit history

View git commit history in nice graphical format.

oneline

git log --oneline --graph --all

detailed

git log --graph --all --decorate=short

You can use this command to get familiar with recent efforts and understanding merges.

query for time range

git log --since="2026-01-01"

git log --before="2026-02-01"

git log --since="2026-01-01" --before="2026-02-01"

git log --since="2 weeks ago"
git log --since="3 days ago"
git log --since="yesterday"

query for author

git log --author="Elton"

how frequently a file changed in repo

git log --name-only --pretty=format: | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr | head -50

search commits for particular strings

git log -p -G "PaymentProcessor|def charge|class User" -- .

search commit messages

git log --oneline --grep="refactor\|auth\|payment"

who commited the most

git shortlog -sn

who changed the most on a particular folder

git shortlog -sn -- app/services

who commited the most in a particular folder

git shortlog -sn -- app/services

shows commit messages in reverse order useful to glance history

git log --reverse --oneline