Git merge and git rebase are two ways to integrate changes from one branch into another. Here are the differences between the two:
Git Merge:
Merges changes from one branch into another Creates a new commit that combines the changes from the source branch and the target branch Preserves the history of both branches Can result in a "merge commit" that shows the point at which the two branches were merged Does not modify the original branch Git Rebase:
Integrates changes from one branch into another by applying them as new commits on top of the target branch Rewrites the history of the target branch Results in a linear history with a clear timeline of commits Does not create a merge commit Can cause conflicts if multiple people are working on the same branch In general, if you want to preserve the history of both branches and create a merge commit, use git merge. If you want a linear history with a clear timeline of commits, use git rebase. However, it's important to consider the potential conflicts that may arise with rebasing, especially if you're working in a team with multiple contributors. Here are some examples to help illustrate the differences between git merge and git rebase.
Let's say we have two branches, feature and master, and we want to integrate changes from feature into master.
Git Merge example: git checkout master git merge feature This creates a new commit that combines the changes from feature and master. The resulting commit history would look something like this:
* Merge branch 'feature' into 'master'
|\
| * Commit D (feature)
| * Commit C (feature)
| * Commit B (feature)
|/
* Commit A (master)
Note the new "merge commit" that shows the point at which the two branches were merged.
Git Rebase example:
git checkout feature
git rebase master
git checkout master
git merge feature
This applies the changes from feature as new commits on top of master. The resulting commit history would look something like this:
* Commit D' (feature)
* Commit C' (feature)
* Commit B' (feature)
* Commit A (master)
Note that there is no merge commit and the commit history is linear, with a clear timeline of commits. However, it's important to note that if there were conflicts during the rebase process, they would need to be resolved before merging feature into master.
I hope this helps clarify the differences between git merge and git rebase!