Git Bisect helps to find the commit which introduced a bug using binary search.
Git Bisect is a powerful tool in Git that helps developers quickly identify the commit that introduced a bug or regression in their codebase. It automates the process of binary search through the commit history to find the specific commit where a particular issue was introduced.
Here’s a step-by-step explanation of how Git Bisect works:
Start Bisect:
Begin by marking the current commit as “good” (known to be free of the issue) and another commit as “bad” (known to have the issue). You can use commit hashes, branch names, tags, or any valid Git references.
bash
git bisect start
git bisect good <good_commit>
git bisect bad <bad_commit>
Git Automatically Checks Out a Commit:
Git will automatically check out a commit between the “good” and “bad” states.
Test the Code:
Test your code at this commit to determine if it exhibits the issue or not. If the code is good, mark it as such:
bash
git bisect good
If the code has the issue, mark it as bad:
bash
git bisect bad
Repeat:
Git will again automatically check out a commit between the last “good” and “bad” states. Repeat the testing and marking process until Git identifies the specific commit where the issue was introduced.
Finish Bisecting:
Once Git has identified the problematic commit, it will output the commit hash, and you can finish the bisect process:
bash
git bisect reset
This command resets your branch to the original state before the bisect.
Using Git Bisect is a systematic and efficient way to pinpoint the exact commit that introduced a bug, making it easier for developers to understand the history of their code and fix issues more effectively.