git rebase basic usage - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this git rebase command?

You have a branch feature that is behind main. You run git rebase main while on feature. What happens?

A The commits from <code>feature</code> are replayed on top of the latest <code>main</code> branch commits.

B The <code>main</code> branch is reset to the state of <code>feature</code> branch.

C The <code>feature</code> branch is merged into <code>main</code> creating a merge commit.

D The <code>feature</code> branch is deleted and replaced by <code>main</code> branch.

💡 Hint

Think about what rebasing does: it moves your branch commits to a new base.

Running git rebase main while on feature takes the commits unique to feature and replays them on top of the latest main commits. This updates feature to include all changes from main without a merge commit.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

What does git rebase -i allow you to do?

Choose the best description of what interactive rebase (git rebase -i) enables.

A It automatically merges two branches without conflicts.

B It allows you to edit, reorder, squash, or remove commits before applying them.

C It deletes the current branch and creates a new one.

D It pushes commits directly to the remote repository.

💡 Hint

Interactive means you can choose what to do with each commit.

git rebase -i opens a list of commits allowing you to change their order, combine commits (squash), edit commit messages, or remove commits before replaying them.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

You get a conflict during a git rebase. What is the correct next step?

During git rebase main, Git stops and shows a conflict. What should you do next?

A Run <code>git rebase --abort</code> to ignore the conflict and keep changes.

B Run <code>git merge main</code> to resolve the conflict automatically.

C Delete the branch and start over.

D Fix the conflicting files manually, then run <code>git rebase --continue</code>.

💡 Hint

Rebase pauses for conflicts so you can fix them.

When a conflict occurs during rebase, you must manually fix the conflicting files. After fixing, you run git rebase --continue to proceed. Aborting cancels the rebase, and merging is a different operation.

✅ Best Practice

advanced

When is it best to avoid using git rebase?

Choose the situation where using git rebase is NOT recommended.

A When you want to clean up your commit history before merging.

B When you want to update your feature branch with the latest main branch commits.

C When you have already pushed your branch to a shared remote repository used by others.

D When you want to combine multiple commits into one.

💡 Hint

Rebasing rewrites history which can confuse others if shared.

Rebasing rewrites commit history. If you rebase commits that others have already pulled, it can cause confusion and conflicts. It's safer to avoid rebasing shared branches.

🔀 Workflow

expert

What is the correct sequence to update a feature branch with the latest main branch changes using rebase?

Order these commands to properly update your feature branch with changes from main using rebase.

A 2,1,3,4

B 1,3,2,4

C 1,2,3,4

D 2,3,1,4

💡 Hint

First get latest remote changes, then switch branch, rebase, and push.

First, git fetch origin updates remote tracking branches. Then, switch to your feature branch with git checkout feature. Next, rebase your feature branch onto the updated origin/main with git rebase origin/main. Finally, push your rebased branch with git push --force-with-lease to update the remote safely.