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Kervie Sazon
Kervie Sazon

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Git & GitHub Notes - Part 3: Undoing Changes & Forking

#github #git #beginners #tutorial

Undoing Changes

git reset
This command allows you to move the HEAD (current commit pointer) to a previous commit.

git log

Before undoing commits, it’s useful to see the commit history.

Example Output:

commit d00cb3c91f942a4aa10c3d14e2428344e670e9d5 (HEAD -> testing-lang)
Author: Kervie Jay <166139157+kervieszn14@users.noreply.github.com>
Date:   Fri Mar 6 09:23:19 2026 +0800

    Update README.md

commit 896d60f6a6f5f695da06349bed40f530bf083413
Author: Kervie Jay <166139157+kervieszn14@users.noreply.github.com>
Date:   Fri Mar 6 09:21:59 2026 +0800

    README.md

commit 389969f59a98fe3496660f59a301f8ded48a74fb
Author: Kervie Jay <166139157+kervieszn14@users.noreply.github.com>
Date:   Fri Mar 6 09:20:26 2026 +0800
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Each commit has a unique commit hash which can be used to reset to a specific commit.

git reset HEAD~1

This command moves the repository one commit back.

Meaning:

  • HEAD - current commit
  • ~1 - one commit before the current commit

This removes the latest commit but keeps the changes in working directory so you can edit them again.

git reset <hash>

Used to reset a specific commit using its commit hash.

Example

git reset d00cb3c91f942a4aa10c3d14e2428344e670e9d5
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This moves the project back to that commit.
Use git log to find the commit hash.

git reset --hard <hash>

This command resets the repository completely to a previous commit.

Example

git reset d00cb3c91f942a4aa10c3d14e2428344e670e9d5
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Important:

This will:

  • Remove commits after the selected commit
  • Delete changes in the working directory

Forking a Repository

Forking is a feature on GitHub that allows you to create a copy of someone else's repository under your own GitHub account.

After forking, you can clone your fork to your local machine.

Example:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/project-name.git
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Then you can make changes and commit them normally.

Example workflow:

git add .
git commit -m "Improve documentation"
git push
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This pushes the changes to your forked repository.

Creating a Pull Request

After editing your fork, you can submit your changes back to the original project using a Pull Request (PR).

A Pull Request allows the original repository owner to:

  • Review your changes
  • Discuss improvements
  • Merge your contribution

Steps:

  1. Push changes to your fork
  2. Go to your forked repository on GitHub
  3. Click Compare & Pull Request
  4. Add a description
  5. Submit the Pull Request
Command Purpose
git log View commit history
git reset Move to a previous commit
git reset HEAD~1. Undo the last commit
git reset <hash> Reset to a specific commit
git reset --hard <hash> Reset and Delete Changes

Today, I learned how to undo commits in Git using commands like git reset and git reset --hard. I also practiced viewing commit history with git log to identify which commit to revert to. In addition, I learned how forking works on GitHub and how it allows developers to contribute to projects they don’t own. Finally, I understood the workflow of editing a forked repository and submitting contributions through a Pull Request.

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