log

The log command displays detailed information about all branches, including creation time and parent relationships.

Usage

pgbranch log

Output

* main (current)
    Created: 2024-01-15 10:30:00
    Parent: -
    Snapshot: pgbranch_main_abc123

  feature-auth
    Created: 2024-01-15 14:22:00
    Parent: main
    Snapshot: pgbranch_feature_auth_abc123

  feature-payments
    Created: 2024-01-16 09:15:00
    Parent: feature-auth
    Snapshot: pgbranch_feature_payments_abc123

Output Fields

Field	Description
Branch name	Name of the branch, with `*` indicating current
Created	Timestamp when the branch was created
Parent	The branch that was active when this branch was created
Snapshot	The PostgreSQL template database name

Understanding Parent Branches

The parent branch shows the lineage of your branches:

main
  │
  └─▶ feature-auth (parent: main)
        │
        └─▶ feature-payments (parent: feature-auth)

This helps you understand:

Which branch a feature was based on
The evolution of your database schema
Where to look for baseline state

Examples

View All Branches

pgbranch log

No Branches Yet

When no branches exist:

No branches yet.

Use Cases

Review Before Cleanup

Before pruning old branches:

pgbranch log
# Review which branches exist and when they were created
pgbranch prune -d 30

Understand Branch History

When joining a project or returning after time away:

pgbranch log

See what database states exist and their relationships.

Debug Schema Issues

If you’re not sure which branch has the schema you need:

pgbranch log
# Find the branch created at the right time
pgbranch checkout pre-refactor

Combining with Other Commands

Check Size of Each Branch

# Get branch names from log, then check sizes
for branch in $(pgbranch branch); do
  size=$(psql -t -c "SELECT pg_size_pretty(pg_database_size('pgbranch_${branch}_*'))" 2>/dev/null)
  echo "$branch: $size"
done

Export Branch List

pgbranch log > branches-backup.txt

Output Formatting

The log output uses color formatting in terminals:

Green: Current branch name
Yellow: Parent branch name
Dim: Timestamps and snapshot names

When piped or redirected, colors are automatically disabled.

branch - Simple branch list
status - Current state overview
diff - Compare schemas between branches

log