Git Rebase vs Merge

If you’ve worked with Git for even a short while, you’ve probably encountered two powerful commands: merge and rebase. Both are used to integrate changes from one branch into another — but they do so in fundamentally different ways.

In this blog, we’ll break down:

• What git merge and git rebase do
• How they differ (with visual examples)
• When to use each (and why it matters)

What Is git merge

git merge takes the contents of one branch and integrates it into another. It creates a new merge commit that ties together the histories of both branches.

Example

git checkout main
git merge feature-branch

This will generate a new commit like:

*   d4e3f5d (main) Merge branch 'feature-branch'
|\
| * 73ca1a3 (feature-branch) Add new feature
* | 12a8b6f Previous main commit
|/

✅ Pros:

• Preserves the full history of commits
• Shows a complete picture of how branches developed
• Safer and easier for teams to collaborate

❌ Cons:

• Can clutter the log with unnecessary merge commits
• Makes the commit history non-linear and harder to follow

What Is git rebase

git rebase moves or “replays” the commits from one branch onto another, as if they were created there originally. It avoids merge commits by rewriting history.

Example:

git checkout feature-branch git rebase main

This changes the base of feature-branch to the tip of main:

• 95fb0c3 (feature-branch) Add new feature
• 12a8b6f (main) Previous main commit

✅ Pros:

• Creates a clean, linear commit history
• Easier to follow with tools like git log or git bisect
• Useful for preparing pull requests

❌ Cons:

• Rewrites commit history (can be dangerous if used improperly)
• Not safe for branches that are shared with others (can cause conflicts and confusion)

Merge vs Rebase: A Visual Summary

Let’s say you start with this:

main:    A---B---C
                  \
feature:           D---E


# **Merge** creates a new commit F:

main:    A---B---C-------F
                       /   \
feature:              D —– E

# **Rebase** moves `D` and `E` on top of `C`:

main:    A—B—C—D’—E’

When to Use Each

Scenario	Use merge	Use rebase
Collaborating on shared branches	✅ Yes	🚫 Avoid (unless everyone agrees)
Cleaning up commit history	🚫 May create noise	✅ Great for a tidy history
Preparing for pull requests	✅ Fine	✅ Preferred by many
Wanting to preserve history	✅ Keeps all original commits	🚫 Rewrites history

Best Practices

• Use merge when working with others to maintain a complete and safe history.
• Use rebase before merging your own feature branch, to squash and clean up commits.
• Never rebase public branches (i.e., ones shared with others) unless you know what you’re doing.