How to view Git log with one line
Łukasz Holeczek
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Viewing Git log in one-line format provides a compact, scannable overview of commit history that’s perfect for quick reviews and branch analysis.
With over 25 years of version control experience and as the creator of CoreUI, I use the one-line log format daily for efficient code review and project analysis.
The most effective approach is using the --oneline flag which shows abbreviated commit hashes and the first line of commit messages.
This provides maximum information density while maintaining readability for fast repository analysis.
Use git log --oneline to display commit history in a compact format with abbreviated hashes and concise commit messages.
# Basic one-line log
git log --oneline
# One-line log with limited number of commits
git log --oneline -10
# One-line log for specific branch
git log --oneline main
# One-line log with custom format
git log --pretty=format:"%h - %an, %ar : %s" -10
# One-line log for specific file
git log --oneline -- filename.js
# One-line log since specific date
git log --oneline --since="2025-01-01"
The --oneline flag combines --pretty=oneline and --abbrev-commit to show each commit on a single line with a shortened SHA hash and the commit message’s first line. This format is ideal for getting a quick overview of recent changes, identifying specific commits, or understanding project progression without overwhelming detail.
Best Practice Note:
This compact log format is essential in CoreUI’s daily development workflow for efficient code review and release planning. Combine with other options like --graph or --all to visualize branch structure while maintaining the compact, readable format.
