How can I revert a commit in GitHub after realizing it introduced a bug?

[fostira]

I recently encountered a frustrating situation while working on my project in GitHub. I had been developing a new feature for a few days and, after several commits, I was finally ready to push my changes to the main branch. However, shortly after merging my changes, I noticed that a bug had been introduced. It was a simple mistake, but it had a significant impact on the functionality of the application.
I was in a bit of a panic because I needed to fix this issue quickly. I remembered that Git has a way to revert commits, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it. I didn’t want to mess up the commit history or lose any of the progress I had made.

What should I do?

[Armiiin]

If you've made a commit in GitHub that you later realize introduced a bug, you can revert it to restore the previous state of your project. Here’s how to do it:

1. Identify the Commit: First, you need to find the commit hash of the commit you want to revert. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:

   git log
   

   This will display a list of commits along with their hashes. Locate the commit that caused the issue.

2. Revert the Commit: Once you have the commit hash, you can use the git revert command to create a new commit that undoes the changes made by the problematic commit. Run the following command, replacing <commit-hash> with the actual hash:

   git revert <commit-hash>
   

   This will open your default text editor, allowing you to edit the commit message for the revert commit. Save and close the editor to complete the revert.

3. Push the Changes: After reverting the commit locally, don’t forget to push your changes to the remote repository with:

   git push origin <your-branch-name>
   

By following these steps, you can effectively revert a commit that introduced a bug, ensuring that your project remains stable and functional. If you need to revert multiple commits, you can do so one at a time, or you can specify a range of commits using the git revert command with the .. notation. However, be cautious with multiple reverts, as they can complicate your commit history.