Keep a clean history with rebase

$ run as a normal user# run as root (or with sudo)

Rebase a branch on main

While you worked, main moved on. Rebase replays your commits on the new main.

$git switch feature/web-network
$git fetch origin
$git rebase origin/main
$git push --force-with-lease

before:   main  A---B---C
                 \
          feature D---E
 
after:    main  A---B---C
                         \
          feature         D'--E'

Remember

Rebase rewrites commits (new hashes D', E'). Never rebase commits other people already built on — only your own feature branch.

5.2

Solve conflicts during a rebase

A rebase stops at each commit that conflicts. Fix it, then continue.

$git status
$vim main.tf
$git add main.tf
$git rebase --continue
$git rebase --skip
$git rebase --abort

5.3

Clean up commits interactively

git rebase -i opens a list of your commits. Change the word in front to squash, reword, reorder or drop commits — before you open the pull request.

$git rebase -i origin/main

Editor during git rebase -i

pick 1a2b3c4 Add web subnet
fixup 5d6e7f8 typo
pick 9a8b7c6 Add NSG rules
reword 3c4d5e6 wip
drop 7f8e9d0 debug output

Word	Effect
`pick`	Keep the commit
`reword`	Keep, change the message
`squash`	Join with the commit above, edit the message
`fixup`	Join with the commit above, keep its message
`drop`	Remove the commit

At work

Commit with git commit --fixup=HASH while you work, then git rebase -i --autosquash origin/main puts every fix in the right place.

5.4

Choose merge or rebase

Both bring changes together. Teams pick a style and stick to it.

	Merge	Rebase
History	True, with merge commits	Straight line
Safe on shared branches	Yes	No (rewrites)
Conflicts	Once	Possibly per commit
Common use	Merging a PR into main	Updating your own feature branch

5.5

Pick single commits

git cherry-pick copies one commit from another branch — for example a hot fix from main into a release branch.

$git switch release/1.2
$git cherry-pick 3f2a9c1
$git cherry-pick -x 3f2a9c1

-x adds "cherry picked from commit …" to the message, so the link is clear.

All commands in this chapter