🔍 `post-commit` Hook — Real-World Use Cases

The post-commit hook is triggered immediately after a commit is successfully made. It cannot block the commit, but it can perform helpful background actions to enhance developer workflows.

Location: .git/hooks/post-commit
Note: This hook does not affect the commit process, but can run automation tasks post-commit.

✅ Use Cases and Examples

1. 🎉 Display Success Message or Reminder

Show a friendly reminder after a successful commit:

#!/bin/bash
echo "🎉 Commit completed! Don’t forget to run 'git push' 🚀"

2. 📝 Append Commit Summary to Local Log File

Maintain a personal commit history in a local file:

#!/bin/bash
git log -1 --pretty=format:"%h | %s | %an | %cd" >> .commit-history.txt

3. 🧪 Run Tests (Non-blocking)

Run tests for feedback (won’t block the commit even if they fail):

#!/bin/bash
echo "🧪 Running tests after commit..."
npm test

4. 🧠 Show Random Git Tips (For Learning)

Display a random Git tip after every commit to make learning fun:

#!/bin/bash
tips=(
  "💡 Tip: Use 'git log --graph --oneline' to see the commit tree"
  "💡 Tip: 'git stash' saves your uncommitted changes safely"
  "💡 Tip: 'git diff HEAD~1' shows changes from the last commit"
)
random=$((RANDOM % ${#tips[@]}))
echo "${tips[$random]}"

5. 📡 Send Slack/Discord/Email Notifications

Trigger notifications to a team chat after a commit:

#!/bin/bash
msg=$(git log -1 --pretty=format:"%s by %an")
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"text\":\"New Commit: $msg\"}" \
  https://hooks.slack.com/services/XYZ/ABC/123

6. 💾 Sync Repo to a Backup Folder

Mirror your repo to another local directory for backups:

#!/bin/bash
rsync -av --exclude='.git' ./ /home/gaurav/backup/my-repo/

7. 🧼 Clear Terminal After Commit

Reset the terminal and display a success message for visual clarity:

#!/bin/bash
clear
echo "✅ Commit complete! Terminal refreshed."

📦 Summary Table

Use Case	Benefit
Success Message Reminder	Friendly experience for the user
Local Log File Append	Track personal commit history
Run Tests	Gain post-commit confidence
Learning Tips	Keep students engaged and learning
Slack/Email Notification	Keep teams informed on changes
Code Sync	Maintain local backups or mirrors
Terminal Cleanup	Clean visual environment after commit

💡 Bonus: Want a Demo Git Project?

If you’d like a ready-to-use demo Git project with:

Sample hooks for each stage
Simple actions and educational comments
Full commit lifecycle in action

Just send the message: "demo bana bhai" 😄 I can also publish it to GitHub and share the link publicly!

Stay tuned—next up is the pre-push hook, with:

Simple explanation
Real-world use cases
Practical code examples

Let’s make Git automation fun and useful!


Let me know if you'd like this bundled into a Git automation series page, or if you want a downloadable `.zip` file with all sample hooks for your students!

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🔍 post-commit Hook — Real-World Use Cases