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Merging Main into Feature Branch: A Guide for Smooth Git Workflows

In collaborative software development, managing multiple branches is a common practice. As you work on new features, it’s crucial to keep your branch up-to-date with the latest changes from the main development line, typically the main branch.

This article will guide you through the process of integrating changes from main into your feature branch using two common Git techniques: merging and rebasing.

Understanding the Scenario

You have a feature branch and a main branch. The main branch has advanced with new commits since you branched off to create feature. Now, you want to incorporate those new commits from main into feature to ensure your feature development is based on the most current code.

Method 1: Merging

Merging is the simpler and safer approach, especially if your branch is shared with others. It combines the histories of the main and feature branches, creating a new commit on the feature branch that represents the merge.

Steps to Merge Main into Feature

  1. Check out your feature branch:
   git checkout feature
  1. Merge the main branch into your feature branch:
   git merge main

This will bring the changes from main into feature. If there are any conflicts between the changes in main and feature, Git will prompt you to resolve them. After resolving conflicts, you can continue the merge process.

Example Scenario

Let’s say your main branch has a commit that fixes a critical bug. By merging main into your feature branch, you ensure that this bug fix is included in your feature development:

# On your feature branch
git merge main

If conflicts arise, resolve them manually:

# Edit conflicted files to resolve conflicts
git add resolved_file
# Continue the merge
git commit

Method 2: Rebasing

Think of your project as a stack of building blocks:

Main Branch: This is your main stack of blocks. It’s the foundation where everyone adds their blocks.
Feature Branch: This is your own stack of blocks where you’re building something new.

Now, imagine the main stack got some new blocks added by other people while you were busy building your own stack.

What Rebase Does:

  • You Take the New Blocks: When you rebase, you take the new blocks from the main stack.
  • Lift Your Blocks: You temporarily lift up the blocks you’ve been building.
  • Put the New Blocks on the Bottom: You put the new blocks from the main stack at the bottom of your stack.
  • Put Your Blocks Back on Top: Finally, you put your own blocks back on top of the new ones.

This way, your stack (feature branch) has all the new blocks (commits) from the main stack, plus your own blocks on top.

To update your feature branch with the new commits from the main branch using rebase, follow these steps:

Steps to Rebase Feature onto Main

  1. Check out your feature branch:
   git checkout feature
  1. Rebase onto main:
   git rebase main

During the rebase, Git will reapply each of your feature branch commits on top of the latest commit in main. If conflicts occur, Git will pause and allow you to resolve them.

Example Scenario

Imagine you have several commits in your feature branch that add a new feature. By rebasing, you ensure that your feature development includes the latest changes from main without creating additional merge commits:

# On your feature branch
git rebase main

Resolve any conflicts that arise during the rebase:

# Edit conflicted files to resolve conflicts
git add resolved_file
# Continue the rebase
git rebase --continue

Choosing Between Merge and Rebase

When to Merge:

  • You prefer a simpler process.
  • Your branch is shared with others.
  • You are working on a collaborative project where history rewriting is discouraged.

When to Rebase:

  • You want a cleaner, linear project history.
  • You are comfortable resolving conflicts during a rebase.
  • Your branch is private, or your team agrees on rebasing practices.