HEAD

The HEAD file is at the core of how Git knows the SHA-1 of the last commit when running commands like git branch <branch>. It serves as a symbolic reference, pointing to the current branch. However, in rare cases, HEAD can contain the actual SHA-1 value of a Git object, such as when checking out a tag, commit, or remote branch, which puts your repository in a "detached HEAD" state.

Visit the following resources to learn more:

• @official@Git Internals - Git References - The HEAD
• @video@Learn Git Essentials: Head & Detached Head