What's the Difference Between Head^ and Head~ in Git?

Better Stack Team
Updated on August 12, 2024

In Git, HEAD^ and HEAD~ are used to refer to previous commits, but they have slightly different meanings and uses. Here’s a detailed explanation of each:

HEAD^ (Caret Notation)

  • Syntax: HEAD^ or HEAD^n where n is an optional number.
  • Meaning: Refers to the parent commit(s) of the HEAD commit.
  • Usage:
    • HEAD^ is shorthand for HEAD^1, which refers to the first parent of the current commit. In the case of a merge commit, it refers to the first parent (i.e., the commit that was on the branch before the merge).
    • HEAD^2 refers to the second parent of a merge commit. Merge commits have more than one parent, so you can specify which parent you want to refer to.

Example:

 
git log HEAD^

This will show the log of the commit immediately before the current commit.

HEAD~ (Tilde Notation)

  • Syntax: HEAD~n where n is a number.
  • Meaning: Refers to the commit that is n commits before HEAD in the commit history.
  • Usage:
    • HEAD~1 refers to the commit directly before the current commit, which is equivalent to HEAD^ or HEAD^1.
    • HEAD~2 refers to the commit that is two commits before the current commit, and so on.

Example:

 
git log HEAD~2

This will show the log of the commit that is two steps before the current commit.

Key Differences

  1. Number of Parents:
    • HEAD^ specifically targets the parent(s) of the current commit. For a regular commit, it’s the immediate predecessor. For a merge commit, it allows specifying which parent to reference (first or second).
    • HEAD~ is used to navigate a specific number of commits back in the history, regardless of whether the commits are regular or merge commits.
  2. Usage Context:
    • Use HEAD^ when you need to reference the immediate parent or a specific parent of a merge commit.
    • Use HEAD~ when you want to refer to a commit that is n steps back in the commit history from the current commit.

Examples

  1. Referring to Parent Commits:

     
    git show HEAD^
git show HEAD^2

    These commands show the first parent and the second parent (if it exists) of the current commit.

  2. Navigating Back in History:

     
    git show HEAD~1
git show HEAD~3

    These commands show the commit one step back and three steps back from the current commit.

Summary

  • HEAD^:
    • Refers to the parent commit(s).
    • HEAD^ or HEAD^1 is the first parent.
    • HEAD^2 is the second parent of a merge commit.
  • HEAD~:
    • Refers to a commit n steps back in history.
    • HEAD~1 is one commit back, HEAD~2 is two commits back, etc.

Understanding these notations helps navigate and manipulate commit history effectively in Git.

Got an article suggestion? Let us know
Explore more
Git
Licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.