Git Reflog Explained: Recover Deleted Commits & Lost Work

Have you ever run: git reset --hard HEAD~1 …and suddenly your latest commit disappeared? Or rebased the wrong branch? Or force pushed and thought: “That’s it. It’s gone.” Before you panic — Git has a hidden safety net. It’s called reflog . Most developers don’t know about it until disaster strikes. And when it does, reflog feels like magic. This guide will show you: What Git reflog actually is Why it exists How it differs from git log How to recover deleted commits How to undo a hard reset How to fix a bad rebase What its limitations are And how to use it safely in real-world workflows This is not beginner Git. This is Git survival training. What Is Git Reflog? Let’s simplify this. Git keeps two types of history: Project History This is what you see when you run: git log It shows the commit history of your project. Reference History (Reflog) This is what you see when you run: git reflog Reflog does NOT show your project history. It shows: The history of where your HEAD has been. That’s