Git Rebase with Blocks

Let’s look at how to resolve two Git branches that have diverged by performing a Git rebase (your other option in this situation is to create a merge commit).

As discussed in Visualizing Git Branching with Blocks, we can’t do a fast-forward merge when the most recent commit on the receiving branch (e.g. commit C on main) does not appear in the branch we are merging in (e.g. branch feat/d).

(main)     (feat/d*)
C          D
B          B
A          A

What Happens with Git Rebase

When we are on the feat/d branch and type git rebase main, the following steps occur.

1. Find a Common Ancestor

Git finds the most recent commit in main that also appears in feat/d.

In this case, it is commit B

2. Temporarily Remove Newer Commits

Git then temporarily removes any commits on feat/d that occur after the common commit (B).

(main)     (feat/d*)
           D    

C          
B          B
A          A

3. Update our Receiving Branch

Git then performs a fast-forward merge, bringing feat/d up to date with main.

(main)     (feat/d*)
           D    

C          C          
B          B
A          A

4. Re-apply Commits

Git then re-applies the temporarily removed commit(s). Because a Git commit is a unique snapshot in time, even though the changes introduced in D are the same, it is a different commit so we will refer to this new commit as D'

(main)     (feat/d*)    
           D'
C          C          
B          B
A          A

Rewriting History

When our git rebase brought our feat/d branch up to date with main, it modified the history of our branch.

If someone else has a copy of the feat/d branch, their copy and our copy have now diverged.

Theirs     Mine
(feat/d)   (feat/d)    
           D'
C          C          
B          B
A          A

This is the biggest hazard of using git rebase. In general, you should only rewrite Git history (e.g. with git rebase) when the branch whose history you are rewriting is private to you.

Updating Your Remote

If you have a copy of your branch on a remote server (like GitHub), you’ll need to overwrite it. git push will not overwrite a branch on your remote server (by default git push will only update the branch, like a fast-forward merge). You can force an overwrite with

git push --force-with-lease

Note: git push --force would also work but you should never use git push –force.

Merge Conflicts During Rebase

Often when you re-apply your temporarily removed commit(s), there is a merge conflict. A merge conflict occurs when you tell Git to apply a commit but Git doesn’t know how to apply your changes because of how the branch has changed.

Video

Sal Ferrarello (@salcode)

Sal is a PHP developer with a focus on the WordPress platform. He is a conference speaker with a background including Piano Player, Radio DJ, Magician/Juggler, Beach Photographer, and High School Math Teacher. Sal can be found professionally at WebDevStudios, where he works as a senior backend engineer.