What's the difference between HEAD^ and HEAD~ in Git?

Question

When I specify an ancestor commit object in Git, I\'m confused between HEAD^ and HEAD~.

Both have a \"numbered\" version like HEAD^3<

Answer 1

• HEAD~ specifies the first parent on a "branch"

• HEAD^ allows you to select a specific parent of the commit

An Example:

If you want to follow a side branch, you have to specify something like

master~209^2~15