Git Beyond Clouds: Git Merge vs Rebase part - 6

Git Merge vs. Git Rebase: The Ultimate Visual Guide for Developers

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned developer, Git can sometimes feel overwhelming—especially when it comes to merge, rebase, and squash. This detailed guide will help you grasp these concepts with clarity, visuals, and practical understanding.

🔀 What is git merge?

Merging is the process of integrating changes from one branch into another. It’s like saying, “Hey, combine this feature branch with our main branch without losing anything.”

🧠 Behind the Scenes

• Creates a new merge commit to connect the histories of both branches.
• No commit IDs are changed—history is preserved.
• Multiple contributors can see the original commit flow clearly.

Imagine two roads meeting at a junction. Merge creates a new road from that intersection.

✅ Use Cases for Merging

• Combining feature branches into main or develop.
• Working in teams where commit history matters.
• Avoiding rewriting commits that others may already have.

🧬 What is git rebase?

Rebasing is a technique to move or “reapply” commits from one branch on top of another. It results in a cleaner, linear history, as if all your changes happened after the latest changes from another branch.

🧠 What Really Happens?

• Commits are rewritten with new commit IDs.
• No merge commit is created.
• History appears sequential and clean.

Think of it like re-writing your diary so it looks like everything happened in perfect order.

✅ Use Cases for Rebasing

• Working on your own feature branch.
• Cleaning up messy history before merging.
• Wanting a project history that’s easier to read.

⚠️ A Word of Caution

Never rebase public or shared branches unless everyone understands Git very well. Rewriting history can lead to confusion and errors for collaborators.

🎯 Interactive Rebase and Squashing Commits

git rebase -i allows you to not only rebase, but also clean up your commit history by combining commits.

What is Squashing?

Squashing means combining multiple commits into one. It's useful when your branch has a bunch of WIP (work-in-progress) commits that clutter the history.

Example Flow:

1. Run: git rebase -i HEAD~4
2. Change pick to squash for the last 3 commits.
3. Write a meaningful commit message.
4. Done! You now have a polished history.

📊 Git Merge vs Git Rebase: Visual Comparison

Feature	Merge	Rebase
Creates extra commit?	Yes (merge commit)	No
History style	Branching, non-linear	Linear and clean
Preserves commit history?	Yes	No (rewrites)
Safe for teams?	Yes	Only in local/private branches
Conflict resolution	Once (at merge)	Multiple (per commit)

📁 Modern Git Branching Strategy

To make version control simpler, many teams now use a 3-branch model:

• main: Always deployable production-ready code.
• integration: Temporary environment to test all combined features.
• feature/*: Each developer works in their own feature branch.

This structure works great with CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps workflows.

🧠 Summary

• Use merge to preserve history and show how changes were integrated.
• Use rebase for a cleaner commit timeline, especially when working solo.
• Use squash to simplify and polish your work before sharing or merging.

Written & Patented by Kalyan Kalavena © All Rights Reserved.