How to view file history in Git
Łukasz Holeczek
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Viewing file history in Git helps understand how a specific file has evolved over time, showing all commits that modified it.
As the creator of CoreUI with extensive Git experience across numerous projects, I frequently track file histories to understand feature development and debug changes.
The most effective approach uses git log with the filename parameter to see all commits that touched a specific file.
This command provides chronological insight into file modifications, helping with code reviews and understanding implementation decisions.
Use git log with the filename to view the complete commit history for a specific file.
git log --oneline src/components/Button.js
This command shows a chronological list of all commits that modified the specified file, displaying commit hashes and messages in a compact format. Each entry represents a change to the file, making it easy to track its evolution. The --oneline flag provides a condensed view, while removing it shows full commit details including author, date, and complete commit messages.
Best Practice Note:
This is the file tracking method we use in CoreUI development to understand component evolution and review implementation history.
Use git log -p filename to see actual code changes in each commit, or git log --stat filename to see file modification statistics for each commit.
