Sort git Branches by Date
I'll be first person to admit I don't do as much git repository maintenance as I should. I rarely delete branches which have been merged, so a git branch execution shows me a mile-long list of branches that likely aren't relevant. The best way to find branches I've recently used is to use the following command:
git for-each-ref --sort=-committerdate refs/heads/
The command above lists the most recently worked on branches from top to bottom. If you want to see the date of last commit, you can do this:
git for-each-ref --sort='-committerdate' --format='%(refname)%09%(committerdate)' refs/heads | sed -e 's-refs/heads/--'
I find these commands incredibly helpful when returning to work from a weekend or just jumping from project to project. Hopefully you can use these commands too!
![How to Create a RetroPie on Raspberry Pi – Graphical Guide]()
Today we get to play amazing games on our super powered game consoles, PCs, VR headsets, and even mobile devices. While I enjoy playing new games these days, I do long for the retro gaming systems I had when I was a kid: the original Nintendo...
![Interview with a Pornhub Web Developer]()
Regardless of your stance on pornography, it would be impossible to deny the massive impact the adult website industry has had on pushing the web forward. From pushing the browser's video limits to pushing ads through WebSocket so ad blockers don't detect them, you have...
![CSS Vertical Center with Flexbox]()
I'm 31 years old and feel like I've been in the web development game for centuries. We knew forever that layouts in CSS were a nightmare and we all considered flexbox our savior. Whether it turns out that way remains to be seen but flexbox does easily...
![Comment Preview Using MooTools]()
Comment previewing is an awesome addition to any blog. I've seen really simple comment previewing and some really complex comment previewing. The following is a tutorial on creating very basic comment previewing using MooTools.
The XHTML
You can set up your XHTML any way you'd like.
I use this version to show latest git branches with the timestamp as a relative/human readable format:
Hey man, I used your snippet and noticed after a while that it actually gets the timing wrong. For example a branch I created today is showing as being worked on 2 weeks ago
That might be because the timestamp doesn’t show the branch creation time but the commit time of the last commit of the branch.
I’m definitely going to bookmark this as I’m using git more and more in team settings where we will probably be branching a lot more. This will come in handy.
Super-helpful even three years on — thank you!
FWIW, I found it much easier to read by putting the date first, as in Amy’s example. That also allows for reverse sorting if desired.
This is gold, thanks a lot!
So helpful! I’ve accumulated dozens of branches in my main project over the years. Sorting them by date, and seeing the dates, is super helpful when trying to purge the useless ones while still keeping around some of the just-in-case guys.
Good feature, thanks a lot!
Also I add that you can add this command to .gitconfig e.g. like a “lastbrs” (last branches) and add the flag “–count” to prevent display all the branches.
You can also just do
git branch --sort=-committerdateto get the local branches with the most recently committed to on top.Also, forgot to mention. If you want this to be the default sort order for all your repositories. Just do
git config --global branch.sort -committerdate.After that a regular call to
git branchwill sort like this.