Git Merge vs Rebase: The Art of Branch Integration

written by Ricky Lim on 2025-01-08

Let's explore how git rebase and git merge integrate changes between branches. In this example from develop branch to the main branch.

Understanding Commits:

Each C represents a commit - a snapshot of your code at a specific point in time.

main (target)	develop (source)	rebase	merge
	C4	C4
	C3	C3	C5
C2		C2	C2
C1		C1	C1

Git Rebase:

• Takes commits from develop (C3, C4)
• Replays them on top of main
• Creates a linear history
• Result: C1 → C2 → C3 → C4

Git Merge:

• Creates a new merge commit (C5)
• Preserves branch history
• Combines changes in one step
• Result: C1 → C2 → C5 (where C5 includes C3 and C4)

Key Differences:

1. Rebase gives linear history
2. Merge preserves branch context
3. Rebase may cause conflicts if the main branch (target) is changed since the develop branch (source) was created
4. Merge creates an extra commit

Pro Tip: Choose Git Rebase for clean, linear history.

The linear history C1 → C2 → C3 → C4 tells a clear story of how your code evolved, making it invaluable for long-term project maintenance and collaboration.