---
title: Compare Commits Between Git Branches
teaser: 'Use `git show-branch` to more specifically compare commits across branches.

  '
tags: git
author: George Brocklehurst
published_on: 2014-01-16
---

Working with a lot of git branches can be a bit of a headache. Graph
visualisations can get tangled and confusing, especially when they include more
than just the branches you care about. Sound familiar? You need `git
show-branch`.

I have a [feature branch][feature] called `stock-information` on a project
that's hosted on Heroku. I want to compare it to my `main` branch and to the
`main` branch on my `staging` remote:

[feature]: https://thoughtbot.com/blog/feature-branch-code-reviews

    git show-branch stock-information staging/main main

The output can be a little confusing at first, but once you learn how to read it
it's a huge time saver:

    ! [stock-information] WIP: Link to data series
     ! [staging/main] Add a description to Stock
      ! [main] Display Stocks
    ---
    +   [stock-information] WIP: Link to data series
    +   [stock-information~1] Create DataSeries for Stocks.
    ++  [staging/main] Add a description to Stock
    ++  [staging/main~1] Import external Stock information
    +++ [main] Display Stocks

The first three lines are column headings. They show the commit at the tip of
each of the branches I specified, with a `!` to indicate which column will
represent this branch in the lines that follow.

After the `---` come the commits. The `+` characters near the start of the lines
indicate which of the branches this commit is present on.

For example, the first commit only has a `+` in the first column. This lines up
with the `!` for `stock-information` in the heading section. So, we know that
this commit is on the `stock-information` branch but not `staging/main` or
`main`.

The third commit ("Add a description to Stock") has a `+` in each of the first
two columns, which indicates it is present on the `stock-information` and
`staging/main`.

The output will end with the last commit that is present on all of the
specified branches, indicated by a `+` in each of the leading columns.

## What's next

If you found this useful, you might also enjoy:

* The excellent [man page for `git show-branch`][man]
* [Remote Branch][remote] for details about fetching, rebasing, tracking, and
  pruning

[man]: https://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-show-branch.html
[remote]: https://thoughtbot.com/blog/remote-branch