Git Rebase vs Merge: When to Use Each
Git rebase vs merge explained: how they work, when to use each, interactive rebase, and the golden rule of rebasing.
The Key Difference
Merge creates a new merge commit that joins two branches. History is preserved as-is. Rebase replays your commits on top of the target branch, creating a linear history.
When to Merge
- Merging feature branches into main
- When you want to preserve the exact history
- Public/shared branches
When to Rebase
- Keeping a feature branch up to date with main
- Cleaning up commit history before merging
- Private branches only (never rebase pushed commits)
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