https://nde-code.github.io/blog/en/tags/devops/Recent content in DevOps on Nathan Debilloëz - BlogHugoenThu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://nde-code.github.io/blog/en/posts/how-to-clean-git-commit-history/Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://nde-code.github.io/blog/en/posts/how-to-clean-git-commit-history/<h1 id="introduction">Introduction:</h1> <p>This guide explains how to recreate a project&rsquo;s Git history from its current state by deleting the Git metadata from the local repository, initializing a new repository, and then replacing the history of the remote <code>main</code> branch.</p> <p>Although not common in day-to-day development, this operation is useful in several specific situations, for example:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Accidentally exposing secrets:</strong> always revoke them first (API keys, access tokens, passwords, etc.). Resetting the repository history helps remove them from the repository&rsquo;s visible history, but it <strong>does not guarantee</strong> that the data has disappeared from existing clones, <em>forks</em>, or caches.</li> <li><strong>Cleaning up a project:</strong> once the initial development phase is over, you may want to start with a clean history by removing the early work-in-progress <em>commits</em>.</li> <li><strong>Starting fresh after major changes:</strong> following a significant refactor or a long period of development, resetting the history can provide a clean baseline and make the repository easier to understand.</li> </ul> <p><strong>⚠️ Warning:</strong> this operation is irreversible. It will permanently overwrite the history of the remote <code>main</code> branch. If other people collaborate on this project, they should delete their local copy and clone the repository again once the operation is complete.</p>