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graph

Visualize the commit DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) in various formats.

Synopsis​

rit graph                    # ASCII graph (default)
rit graph --format mermaid   # Mermaid.js format
rit graph --format dot       # DOT format (Graphviz)
rit graph -o graph.mmd       # Output to file

Description​

The graph command visualizes the entire commit history as a directed acyclic graph (DAG). It shows:

  • All commits from all branches
  • Commit relationships (parent-child)
  • Branch labels
  • Merge commits

The command supports multiple output formats for different use cases.

Options​

  • -f, --format <format> - Output format: ascii, mermaid, or dot (default: ascii)
  • -o, --output <file> - Write output to a file instead of stdout

Output Formats​

ASCII Format (Default)​

Simple text-based visualization suitable for terminal output:

─ abc1234: Initial commit (main)
│ ──→ def5678
── def5678: Add feature
│ ──→ ghi9012
── ghi9012: Fix bug

Mermaid Format​

Generates Mermaid.js syntax that can be rendered in Markdown or online:

graph TD
    Cabc123[abc1234: Initial commit<br/>(main)]
    Cdef567[def5678: Add feature]
    Cghi901[ghi9012: Fix bug]
    Cdef567 --> Cabc123
    Cghi901 --> Cdef567

DOT Format​

Generates Graphviz DOT format for rendering with dot command:

digraph GitGraph {
    rankdir=LR;
    node [shape=box];
    Cabc123 [label="abc1234\nInitial commit\n(main)", style=box];
    Cdef567 [label="def5678\nAdd feature", style=box];
    Cdef567 -> Cabc123;
}

Examples​

ASCII Graph​

$ rit graph
─ abc1234: Initial commit (main)
│ ──→ def5678
── def5678: Add feature
│ ──→ ghi9012
── ghi9012: Fix bug

Mermaid Graph​

$ rit graph --format mermaid
graph TD
    Cabc123[abc1234: Initial commit<br/>(main)]
    Cdef567[def5678: Add feature]
    Cdef567 --> Cabc123

Save to File​

$ rit graph --format mermaid -o graph.mmd
Graph written to graph.mmd

$ cat graph.mmd
graph TD
    ...

Render with Graphviz​

# Generate DOT format
$ rit graph --format dot -o graph.dot

# Render to PNG
$ dot -Tpng graph.dot -o graph.png

How It Works​

  1. Collects all commits: Traverses all branches starting from refs/heads/ and HEAD
  2. Builds commit graph: Reads commit objects and their parent relationships
  3. Assigns levels: Uses BFS to assign topological levels to commits
  4. Generates visualization: Formats the graph according to the selected format

Commit Collection​

The graph command:

  • Reads all branch references from refs/heads/
  • Starts traversal from each branch head
  • Follows parent links to collect all commits
  • Handles merge commits (multiple parents)

Graph Structure​

  • Nodes: Represent commits with short hash and message
  • Edges: Show parent-child relationships (point from parent to child)
  • Labels: Include branch names for branch heads
  • Merge commits: Special styling in Mermaid/DOT formats

Use Cases​

Visualize Branch Structure​

$ rit graph --format mermaid -o branches.mmd

Then include in documentation:

```mermaid
graph TD
    ...

### Generate Documentation

```bash
# Create graph for README
$ rit graph --format mermaid -o docs/graph.mmd

Debug Repository Structure​

# Quick ASCII view
$ rit graph

See Also​

  • log - View commit history
  • branch - Manage branches
  • commit - Create commits