Git Alias for One-Line Log with Graph

Compact Log with Branch Graph

One of the most popular git aliases replaces the verbose default git log output with a condensed, visually rich alternative. The alias lg maps to:

git log --oneline --graph --decorate

What Each Flag Does

Flag	Purpose
--oneline	Shows each commit on a single line with abbreviated hash and subject
--graph	Draws an ASCII branch topology graph in the left margin
--decorate	Annotates commits with branch names, tags, and HEAD position

.gitconfig Entry

[alias]
    lg = log --oneline --graph --decorate

Extending the Alias

Many developers extend this further to include all branches:

[alias]
    lol = log --oneline --graph --decorate --all

The --all flag includes commits from every branch and tag, not just the current branch. This gives you a helicopter view of your entire repository history.

Adding Color

For even richer output, you can use a custom --format string:

[alias]
    graph = log --graph --abbrev-commit --decorate --format=format:'%C(bold blue)%h%C(reset) - %C(bold green)(%ar)%C(reset) %C(white)%s%C(reset) %C(dim white)- %an%C(reset)%C(auto)%d%C(reset)'

This produces color-coded output showing the hash in blue, relative date in green, subject in white, and author name in dim white. Branch decorations use git's automatic coloring.