git show <ref> prints a commit's metadata + diff, or a tag's content, or any tree/blob.
Common forms:
git show HEAD — current commit
git show abc123 — by short hash
git show HEAD~3 — three commits back
git show main:src/index.js — file at that ref (no diff, just content)
git show abc123 --stat — diff summary instead of full patch
git show abc123:path/to/file — historical file content
show is shorthand for "print this object, however you'd expect a human to read it." It auto-formats commits, tags, blobs, trees — each one differently.