WTF is Git Rebase (and Why It’s Both Magic and Chaos)

So you’ve been happily doing:

git pull
git merge

`

And then someone in your team says:

“Just rebase it.”
…and you start questioning your life choices.

---

WTF Is Git Rebase, Really?

Definition (boring version):
git rebase is a command that lets you rewrite the commit history by moving or combining commits onto a new base commit.

Definition (WTF version):
Rebase is basically telling Git:

Yo, take my messy branch, pretend I started working from this new place, and make it look like I always had my sh*t together.

---

Why Even Bother?

Without rebase:
Your history looks like:


main ---A---B---C
...........\
...........D---E (feature)


Then you merge:


main ---A---B---C------merge commit
............\........../
.............D---E-----


Looks like spaghetti 🍝.

With rebase:


main ---A---B---C
................\
..................D'---E'


(Notice the '? Those are rebased commits. Same code, different timeline.)

---

The Actual WTF Command

Say you’re on feature branch and want it updated with main:

bash
git checkout feature
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main


Boom. Feature branch now looks like it was based on the latest main all along.
Congratulations, you’re now a Git historian.

---

Common Rebase Moves

• Interactive Rebase:

bash
git rebase -i HEAD~3


Lets you:
✅ squash commits
✅ rename commits
✅ feel like a time-traveling wizard

• Abort if you panic:

bash
git rebase --abort


(You WILL need this.)

• Continue after fixing conflicts:

bash
git add .
git rebase --continue


---

When to Use Rebase vs Merge

✅ Use rebase when:

• You want a clean history
• You’re working on your own feature branch
• You hate merge commits

❌ Don’t rebase shared branches (like main), or you’ll rewrite history and summon demons in your team Slack.

---

Pros and Cons of Rebasing

✔ Pros:

• Cleaner history
• No merge commits
• Makes you feel pro

✖ Cons:

• Can cause conflicts
• Rewrite history → danger zone
• Makes newbies(me) cry

---

Interactive demo

Visit https://www.namitjain.com/blog/git-rebase for interactive demo

---

TL;DR WTF

• git merge = keep the mess
• git rebase = rewrite history to look clean
• Do it locally, don’t mess with shared branches
• Always have --abort and coffee ready ☕

---

🔥 Next WTF Episode:

WTF is git cherry-pick (and why it ruins friendships)