Git Reflog: Recover Lost Commits and Branches

What Is Reflog?

The reflog (reference log) records every time the tip of a branch or HEAD changes. It is Git's local diary — it remembers commits even after you reset, rebase, or delete a branch.

git reflog

abc1234 HEAD@{0} commit: Fix auth bug

def5678 HEAD@{1} reset: moving to HEAD~1

ghi9012 HEAD@{2} commit: Add feature X

jkl3456 HEAD@{3} commit: Merge branch 'feature'

Common Recovery Scenarios

**Recover from a hard reset:**

# Oops, you ran this:

git reset --hard HEAD~3

# Find the lost commits:

git reflog

# See abc1234 at HEAD@{5}

# Go back:

git reset --hard abc1234

**Recover a deleted branch:**

# The branch is gone, but the commits are not:

git reflog | grep "feature-login"

# Find the last commit on that branch

# Recreate the branch:

git branch feature-login abc1234

Reflog vs History

The reflog is local — it only exists on your machine. It is not pushed or shared with remotes. Each repository has its own reflog for HEAD, branches, and stashes.

Reflog Expiration

Reflog entries expire:

- **90 days** for commits reachable from a branch

- **30 days** for unreachable commits

You can adjust this with `gc.reflogExpire`.

git config --global gc.reflogExpire 180

git config --global gc.reflogExpireUnreachable 60

Best Practices

1. Check reflog before panicking after a destructive command

2. Use `git reflog` regularly to understand how Git works

3. Remember: reflog is local — push important branches early and often

`git reflog` is Git's safety net. It has saved countless developers from lost work.