Git Merge vs. Git Rebase: A Beginner's Guide

When working with Git, you'll often find yourself merging or rebasing branches. These two commands are similar in that they integrate changes from one branch into another, but they achieve this in different ways. Let's break down the key differences and when to use each.

Git Merge

What it does:

Combines the changes from one branch into another by creating a new commit.

How it works:

• Git creates a new commit that represents the combined changes of the two branches.
• This new commit is added to the history of the target branch.

When to use it:

• When you want to preserve the history of both branches.
• When you're merging a feature branch back into the main branch.
• When you're resolving conflicts between branches.

Example:

# bash
git checkout main
git merge feature-branch

Git Rebase

What it does:

• Replays the commits from one branch onto another, creating a linear history.

How it works:

• Git takes the commits from the source branch and replays them onto the target branch, one by one.
• If there are conflicts, you'll need to resolve them before continuing.

When to use it:

• When you want to keep a clean, linear history.
• When you're preparing a feature branch for a pull request.
• When you're fixing a bug in an old commit.

Example:

# bash
git checkout feature-branch
git rebase main

Key Differences

Best Practices

Understand the implications:

Before using either command, make sure you understand how it will affect your project's history.

Use rebase for clean history:

If you want a clean, linear history, rebase is often the preferred choice.

Use merge for preserving history:

If you need to preserve the history of both branches, merge is the better option.

Be cautious with rebase:

• Rebasing can rewrite history, so be careful when using it on public branches (shared branches).
• If you need to undo a rebase, you can use git reflog to find the old commit and reset to it.

Conclusion

By understanding the differences between Git merge and Git rebase, you can choose the right command for your specific use case and maintain a clean and organized Git history.

For a more definitive guide, you can check out this awesome YouTube tutorial which I have found helpful in mastering the concepts.

Thank you! Happy Learning!!