Cheat Sheets · Git Cheat Sheet · Git Log Graph — Visual Commit History in Terminal

Git Log Graph — Visual Commit History in Terminal

git log --oneline --graph --all

Compact single-line graph for all branches and tags

git log --graph --decorate --oneline -n 15

Show the last 15 commits with branch labels

git log --graph --pretty=format:"%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset"

Colorful custom formatted log with relative dates and authors

Log graph variations

CommandFeatures
git log --oneline --graph --allCompact single-line graph for all branches and tags
git log --graph --decorate --oneline -n 15Show the last 15 commits with branch labels
git log --graph --pretty=format:"%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset"Colorful custom formatted log with relative dates and authors

Turn the plain git log output into an ASCII branch graph showing merges, branch divergences, and commit tags right in your CLI.

Related Git recipes

Undo Last Commit — 3 Safe Ways Discard Local Changes — Safely and Completely Delete a Branch — Local and Remote Stash — Park Changes Without Committing Amend the Last Commit Undo a Pushed Commit — The Safe Way (git revert) Rename Local Branch — Safely & Quickly Rename Remote Branch — Complete 3-Step Process Cherry Pick — Apply a Specific Commit Elsewhere Squash Last N Commits — Combine Multiple Commits Sync Fork with Upstream — Step-by-Step Delete Remote Tag — Local and Remote Change Commit Author — Email & Name Unstage File — Remove from Staging Area Clean Untracked Files — Remove Clutter Safely Switch Branch — Modern Branch Navigation Create Branch from Commit — Branch Off History Stash Untracked Files (-u and -a Flags) Force Pull — Overwrite Local Changes with Remote Resolve Merge Conflict — Complete Workflow Show Commit — Inspect Changes in a Commit Tag a Release — Lightweight & Annotated Tags

FAQ

How do I create a permanent alias for this?
Run: git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --all". Then you can just type git lg.

Why is --all important?
Without --all, git log only shows commits reachable from the current branch. --all includes all local and remote branches.

How to search commit messages in the log?
Use git log --grep="search term".

Stop memorizing — build it interactively

Try log options in the Git Builder

Full reference: Git Cheat Sheet