A better alternative to force pushing

I've been using git push --force for quite a few years now, and while it can be pretty handy, I've never quite managed to shake the feeling I'm going to break something. Thankfully, git reflog has saved me in those rare cases when I've messed up, but I've always been on the lookout for a better alternative.

git push --force
# Force push changes to the remote branch, overwriting any conflicting changes

Undo history

Learn how to view your "undo" history using git reflog and reset your repository to a previous state.

Turns out, there has been a solution all along: git push --force-with-lease! This command works similarly to git push --force, but with an added layer of safety. It checks if the remote branch has been updated since your last fetch before allowing the force push. If someone else has pushed changes to the remote branch, the force push will be rejected, preventing you from accidentally overwriting their work.

git push --force-with-lease
# Force push changes to the remote branch only if it hasn't been updated since the last fetch

Now, obviously, this might not be the silver bullet you were looking for, but it will prevent the most common issue on shared branches. It also comes with its own pitfalls, such as git fetch tricking it into thinking your branch is up to date when it isn't. But overall, it's a much safer alternative to git push --force, and I highly recommend giving it a try. So much so that I've completely replace my git push --force usage with it!