Comment by nomel

Comment by nomel 2 months ago

8 replies

I was trying to delete a file from history yesterday.

The built in way (filter-branch) pops up a warning, with a long delay, saying you should hit Control+C and go download a third party python script called filter-repo...

PaulDavisThe1st 2 months ago

Possibly consider that "deleting a file from history" is rather far outside the norm or recommended practice for git (even though it is, of course, entirely possible)

  • nomel 2 months ago

    > even though it is, of course, entirely possible

    I take the more realistic perspective: until git makes it impossible to commit something that shouldn't have been, like a secret, then deleting a file from history is a fundamental requirement of git.

    • lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 2 months ago

      Even if you purge the history, the secret is compromised and you should stop using it. It's moot whether or not you're able to remove it from history.

      • nomel 2 months ago

        That's, for secrets. Secrets aren't the only thing one might want to remove retroactively.

    • tom_ 2 months ago

      The designers of git clearly disagreed, as you can guess from its design, so it's not surprising it might feel like a bit of an uphill struggle (and will probably remain so). There are other tools available.

      • nomel a month ago

        > The designers of git clearly disagreed

        filter-branch has been around since, at least, 1.8. It exists to rewrite history, this specific use case (as the official documentation details) included. An open source project admitting that a solution is better than their own does not mean the developers "disagree" with it, especially when the functionality has already been part of the developers tool for over a decade.