Branching and Merging

Core commands

git switch -c feature/login   # create a branch and switch to it
git switch main               # switch back to main
git branch                    # list local branches (-a includes remote ones)
git merge feature/login       # merge that branch into the branch you are on
git branch -d feature/login   # delete a branch that has been merged

git switch is the modern command. Older documentation uses git checkout for the same job, and it still works.

What a merge does

• If main has not moved since you branched, Git just moves the pointer forward (a fast-forward). No new commit is created.
• If both branches have new commits, Git creates a merge commit that combines them. If the changes overlap, you get a merge conflict.

Rebase in one paragraph

git rebase main replays your commits on top of the latest main, which gives a straight, linear history. It rewrites your commits, so only rebase commits that nobody else has pulled.

Working practice

• Branch from an up-to-date main.
• Keep branches short-lived and focused on one change.
• Bring in changes from main regularly, so differences stay small.
• Delete the branch after it has been merged.
• Follow your team’s naming convention (for example feature/... and fix/...).

Try it

Create a branch, commit a change, switch back to main and notice that the change is gone. Merge the branch and watch it return.