Git Merge vs Rebase: The Essential Quick Reference

Sometimes you need the essential information without the lengthy explanations. Here's the core difference between git merge and git rebase in a format that's easy to remember and apply.

The Core Difference

Command	What It Does	Result
`git merge`	Integrates changes by creating a new merge commit	Preserves the history of both branches
`git rebase`	Moves your branch on top of another	Rewrites commit history to create a linear sequence

Think of merge as "combining two roads" and rebase as "moving your road to connect to a different starting point."

Quick Decision Guide

Use `git merge` when:

✅ Working on shared branches
✅ You want to preserve complete history
✅ You need to show when branches were integrated
✅ Working with a team that prefers merge commits

Use `git rebase` when:

✅ Working on personal feature branches
✅ You want a clean, linear history
✅ You're preparing to merge into main
✅ You want to clean up commit history

Visual Comparison

Git Merge Result:

A---B---C (main)
     \
      D---E---F (feature)
             \
              G (merge commit)

Git Rebase Result:

A---B---C (main)
         \
          D'---E'---F' (rebased feature)

Quick Commands

# Merge
git checkout main
git merge feature-branch

# Rebase
git checkout feature-branch
git rebase main

Remember: Merge preserves history, rebase creates clean history. Choose based on your team's needs and the context of your work.

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