Losing a feature branch in Git can be frustrating, but there’s usually a way to recover it. Whether it was deleted, force-pushed, or just seems to have disappeared, here’s how to bring it back.
1. Check Git Reflog
Git keeps track of changes to your branches with git reflog. This can help find lost commits:
git reflog
Look through the list to find the commit hash where your work was last intact.
Once you’ve found the right commit, you can restore it.
2. Restore Your Work
Option 1: Create a new branch from the lost commit
Use the commit hash from reflog to make a new branch:
git checkout -b recovery-branch <commit-hash>
Now your work is back in a safe place.
Option 2: Reset your branch
If your feature branch still exists but is missing changes, you can reset it:
git reset --hard <commit-hash>
Be careful: This will erase any changes since that commit.
3. Check the Remote Repository
If the branch was changed or deleted on the remote, check for lost commits:
git fsck --lost-found
If this shows lost commits, you can inspect them:
git show <commit-hash>
If the branch was force-pushed, you might still find its history:
git reflog origin/feature-branch
4. Merge or Push Your Changes Back
Once you’ve recovered your work, you can merge it back:
git checkout feature-branch
git merge recovery-branch
Or, if the branch was deleted:
git branch feature-branch recovery-branch
git checkout feature-branch
Then push it:
git push origin feature-branch
Conclusion
Git keeps track of more than you might think, so there’s usually a way to recover lost work. The key is to act quickly and check reflog before assuming your work is gone.
Have you ever lost a branch and brought it back? Let me know how you did it!
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