In this article, we’ll go through the numerous similarities and differences between git merge and git rebase.
If we discuss these two, there have been several discussions between the developers over these two. Can git merge do git rebase operations, for instance, or vice versa? Here, we describe what each one does and how it differs.
Table of Contents
What is Git merge command?
All of the modifications in one branch are merged into another branch using the merge command.
Consider that you have created “feature1” branch from “master” branch. Currently both the branches have the same feature.
You are working on “feature1”. You have introduced some features to branch “feature”. But in the end, you don’t want to add them to the application; Instead, you want branch “feature1” to revert to its original state.
To make “feature1” the same as “master”, you would probably merge the content of “master” branch into the “feature1” branch in this case.
Example of merging master branch to “feature1” branch.
git checkout feature1 git merge master
Using both the above commands in single line.
git merge feature1 master
What is Git rebase command?
The “git rebase” command lets developers integrate changes from one branch to another. Let’s say you are working on branch “feature1” and your other developer is working on branch “feature2”.
You both are working in different features. When you have completed your feature, you may not find that even “feature2” is complete and you now want to integrate the changes you have made.
In this case you would first pull and then rebase so that your changes are integrated into the current version of the repository.
Example of rebasing master branch to “feature1” branch.
git checkout feature1 git rebase master
Git rebase or Git merge which is better?
When the target branch has to be shared, merge is best. When the target branch is private, rebase is best.
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