How to Delete Commit History from Github Repository

GitHub is an essential tool for developers and teams to manage, collaborate, and track their work. However, sometimes you might need to delete a commit history, either to clean up the repository or remove sensitive information. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of deleting commit history from GitHub using Git commands

Delete Commit History from Github Repository

Follow the below instruction to completely delete the commit history of the GitHub repository.

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1. Backup your Repository: Before making any changes, it’s crucial to backup your repository. You can do this by cloning the repository to a separate directory on your local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/username/repo-name.git backup-repo 
   

   Replace “username” with your GitHub username and “repo-name” with the name of the repository you want to backup.

2. Create a Orphan Branch: Create and checkout a new branch that will serve as the starting point for your cleaned-up history. It’s a good practice to use a descriptive name, such as “cleaned-history”:

   git checkout --orphan cleaned-history 
   

3. Add and Commit Changes: Now, add all your files to the new branch and commit the changes. This will create a new commit with the current state of your files, but without the previous commit history:

   git add -A 
   git commit -am "the first commit" 
   

4. Delete Old Branch: Delete the old branch that contains the history you want to remove. If your main branch is named “main”, you can delete it with the following command:

   git branch -D main
   

5. Rename the New Branch: Rename the “cleaned-history” branch to “main” or the name of the original branch you deleted:

   git branch -m main
   

6. Force Push the Changes to GitHub: Now you need to push the changes to GitHub, overwriting the remote branch. This action will permanently delete the commit history from the remote repository:

   git push -f origin main
   

Keep in mind that deleting commit history is a destructive operation, as it permanently removes commits from the repository. It is generally not recommended to delete commit history unless it is absolutely necessary.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you’ve successfully deleted the commit history from your GitHub repository. Remember, this action is irreversible, so always backup your repository before making any changes. It’s essential to understand the implications of these actions to avoid potential issues in your development workflow.