git log --pretty=format:<format_string>

View the commit history in a custom format

This command retrieves the commit history of the repository and displays it according to a custom format specified by the --pretty flag.

By using different combinations of these and other placeholders, you can customize the output to your liking.

The format is defined using format placeholders like:

  • %h for the commit hash
  • %an for the author name
  • %ar for the author date relative to now
  • %s for the commit subject
  • %b for the commit message body
  • %ae for the author's email
  • %ad for the commit date

There are tens of other placeholders to introduce new lines, colors and many other bits of information.

Specific examples:
git log --pretty=format:"%h - %an, %ar : %s"