Today I learned | git show

2 min readNov 21, 2024

Premise: You want to look at the actual changes in your most recent commit.

We will use Aragorn’s git log to demonstrate.

$ git log

commit 45fe...b789 (HEAD -> main)
Author: Aragorn <strider@ranger.path>
Date:   Sat Oct 7 12:32:10 2024 -0400

    Met hobbits in Bree; guided them safely toward Rivendell
    
    - Established watch to catch unwanted behavior
    - Set up checkpoints to monitor entry points

commit 98ab...7d6f (origin/main)
Author: Aragorn <strider@ranger.path>
Date:   Fri Oct 6 18:27:53 2024 -0400

    Patched the codebase; no longer pursued by bugs
    
    - Fixed vulnerabilities for secure passage
    - Added layers of protection across routes

commit bc45...9f2e
Author: Aragorn <strider@ranger.path>
Date:   Fri Oct 6 16:13:45 2024 -0400

    Cleared path to Rivendell and optimized journey
    
    - Reduced redundant routes
    - Improved performance of primary quest functions

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Example:

git show shows the contents of the last commit.

$ git show

commit d9a8f7e92c3a4e7f8bca11d3a7d9c1f7f8231b7b (HEAD -> main)
Author: Aragorn <strider@ranger.path>
Date:   Sat Oct 7 12:32:10 2024 -0400

    Guided hobbits safely to Bree
    
    - Established watch to catch unwanted behavior
    - Set up checkpoints to monitor entry points

diff --git a/security.rb b/security.rb
index 3a1c8f2..d4e5f6a 100644
--- a/security.rb
+++ b/security.rb
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ class Security
     def establish_watch
         # Monitor for suspicious activity
         watchers << "ranger"
-        watchers << "elf"
+        watchers << "elf" unless location == "Bree" # Too conspicuous
+        watchers << "dunadan" if location == "Bree" # Blend in better
+
         log "Watch established with #{watchers.count} members."
     end
 end

We can also use the SHA of the commit to show its diff — helpful for viewing earlier commits — or a branch name, to view the commit a specific branch is currently pointed to.