Log Flags

As you know, git log shows you the history of commits in your repo. There are a few flags I like to use from time to time to make the output easier to read.

The first is --decorate. It can be one of:

• short (the default)
• full (shows the full ref name)
• no (no decoration)

--decorate is now automatically applied as of version 2.12.2. Here are more options you should know:

Run git log --decorate=full. You should see that instead of just using your branch name, it will show the full ref name. A ref is just a pointer to a commit. All branches are refs, but not all refs are branches.

Run git log --decorate=no. You should see that the branch names are no longer shown at all.

The second is --oneline. This flag will show you a more compact view of the log. I use this one all the time, it just makes it so much easier to see what's going on.

git log --oneline