Recovering from mistakes.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH FIRST
Whether the change has been shared.
WHY
That determines which options are safe.
WHAT TO USE FOR UNCOMMITTED CHANGES
Discarding them, or stashing them for later.
WHAT TO USE FOR A COMMIT NOT YET SHARED
Amending it, or resetting to an earlier point.
WHAT RESET DOES
Moves the branch pointer, optionally discarding changes.
WHAT TO BE CAREFUL WITH
Discarding changes permanently.
WHAT TO USE FOR A COMMIT ALREADY SHARED
A revert, which creates a new commit undoing it.
WHY
It does not alter history others have.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT RECOVERY
Git retains references to commits that appear lost, for a period.
WHAT THAT MEANS
Most accidental losses are recoverable.
WHERE TO LOOK
The record of where branch pointers have been.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE ANY RISKY OPERATION
Note the current commit identifier, or create a branch.
WHY
It gives you a way back.
WHAT TO NEVER DO ON A SHARED BRANCH
Force a push that discards others' work.
