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!
![Welcome to My New Office]()
My first professional web development was at a small print shop where I sat in a windowless cubical all day. I suffered that boxed in environment for almost five years before I was able to find a remote job where I worked from home. The first...
![Animated 3D Flipping Menu with CSS]()
CSS animations aren't just for basic fades or sliding elements anymore -- CSS animations are capable of much more. I've showed you how you can create an exploding logo (applied with JavaScript, but all animation is CSS), an animated Photo Stack, a sweet...
![Spatial Navigation]()
Spatial navigation is the ability to navigate to focusable elements based on their position in a given space. Spatial navigation is a must when your site or app must respond to arrow keys, a perfect example being a television with directional pad remote. Firefox OS TV apps are simply...
![Pure CSS Slide Up and Slide Down]()
If I can avoid using JavaScript for element animations, I'm incredibly happy and driven to do so. They're more efficient, don't require a JavaScript framework to manage steps, and they're more elegant. One effect that is difficult to nail down with pure CSS is sliding up...
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.