Golden rule of rebasing (never rebase public) in Git - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

Rebasing changes the history of your commits. If you rebase commits that others have already used, it can cause confusion and conflicts. The golden rule is to never rebase commits that are public and shared with others.

When you want to clean up your local commit history before sharing your work.

When you want to update your feature branch with the latest changes from the main branch before merging.

When you want to avoid creating unnecessary merge commits in your private branch.

When you want to reorder or squash your local commits to make them clearer before pushing.

When you want to keep your local work tidy without affecting others.

Commands

Switch to your feature branch where you want to rebase commits.

Terminal

git checkout feature-branch

Expected Output

Switched to branch 'feature-branch'

Rebase your feature branch on top of the latest main branch commits to update your work.

Terminal

git rebase main

Expected Output

First, rewinding head to replay your work on top of it...

Applying: Your commit message here

Force push your rebased branch to update the remote branch safely, only if no one else has pushed changes.

Terminal

git push --force-with-lease

Expected Output

To github.com:user/repo.git

 + abc1234...def5678 feature-branch -> feature-branch (forced update)

→

--force-with-lease - Force push only if remote branch has not changed to avoid overwriting others' work

Check your commit history to confirm the rebase worked and commits are in the right order.

Terminal

git log --oneline

Expected Output

def5678 Your commit message here

abc1234 Previous commit message

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else from this pattern, remember: never rebase commits that have been shared with others to avoid breaking their work.

Common Mistakes

Rebasing a branch that others have already pulled and based their work on.

It rewrites commit history, causing conflicts and confusion for others who have the old history.

Only rebase local or private branches that no one else uses. For shared branches, use merge instead.

Using 'git push --force' without checking if others pushed changes.

It can overwrite others' commits and cause data loss.

Use 'git push --force-with-lease' to safely force push only if no one else updated the branch.

Summary

Rebase only local or private branches to clean up commit history.

Never rebase branches that others have pulled or shared publicly.

Use 'git push --force-with-lease' to safely update rebased branches.

Check commit history after rebasing to confirm changes.

Practice

1. What is the main reason for the golden rule of rebasing: never rebase public?

easy

A. Rebasing public branches speeds up the repository cloning process.

B. Rebasing public branches can rewrite shared history and confuse collaborators.

C. Rebasing public branches automatically merges all conflicts.

D. Rebasing public branches deletes all previous commits permanently.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what rebasing does

   Rebasing rewrites commit history by moving commits to a new base.

2. Step 2: Consider the effect on public branches

   If you rebase a branch others use, their history conflicts with the rewritten one, causing confusion and errors.

3. Final Answer:

   Rebasing public branches can rewrite shared history and confuse collaborators. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Rebasing public = rewrite shared history = confusion [OK]

Hint: Never rebase branches others already use to avoid conflicts [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking rebasing speeds cloning
• Believing rebasing auto-resolves conflicts
• Assuming rebasing deletes commits permanently

2. Which of the following is the correct git command to rebase your current branch onto main?

easy

A. git rebase main

B. git rebase -m main

C. git rebase --merge main

D. git rebase --onto main

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall basic rebase syntax

   The command to rebase the current branch onto another is git rebase <branch>.

2. Step 2: Check options given

   Only git rebase main matches the correct syntax to rebase onto main.

3. Final Answer:

   git rebase main -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Basic rebase syntax = git rebase branch [OK]

Hint: Use 'git rebase branchname' to rebase current branch [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding unnecessary flags like -m or --merge
• Using --onto incorrectly without extra arguments
• Confusing rebase with merge commands

3. You have a local branch feature that you rebased onto main. What happens if you try to push it to a remote where feature was already shared without force?

medium

A. Push merges remote changes automatically.

B. Push succeeds and overwrites remote history automatically.

C. Push deletes the remote branch.

D. Push is rejected because history has diverged.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand rebasing effect on commit history

   Rebasing rewrites commits, so local branch history differs from remote.

2. Step 2: Consider git push behavior

   Git refuses to push if histories diverge to prevent overwriting others' work unless forced.

3. Final Answer:

   Push is rejected because history has diverged. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Rebase + push without force = rejected [OK]

Hint: Push after rebase needs --force or fails [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming push overwrites remote without force
• Thinking push merges automatically
• Believing push deletes remote branch

4. You accidentally rebased a public branch and now collaborators have conflicts. What is the best way to fix this?

medium

A. Delete the remote branch and recreate it from scratch.

B. Tell collaborators to reset their branches to the new history.

C. Force push the rebased branch and ask collaborators to rebase or reset.

D. Merge the rebased branch into main to fix conflicts.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the problem caused by rebasing public branch

   Rebasing rewrites history, so collaborators' copies conflict with the new history.

2. Step 2: Fix by force pushing and coordinating with collaborators

   Force push updates remote with new history; collaborators must rebase or reset to sync.

3. Final Answer:

   Force push the rebased branch and ask collaborators to rebase or reset. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Fix rebase public = force push + collaborator reset [OK]

Hint: Force push and coordinate resets after rebasing public branch [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting collaborators to fix without reset
• Deleting remote branch unnecessarily
• Merging rebased branch to fix history

5. You want to keep your commit history clean by rebasing, but your branch feature is already pushed and shared. What is the safest workflow to update your branch without breaking the golden rule?

hard

A. Create a new local branch from main, cherry-pick your commits, then push as a new branch.

B. Rebase the shared feature branch directly and force push.

C. Merge main into feature instead of rebasing.

D. Delete the remote feature branch and push your rebased branch with the same name.

Solution

1. Step 1: Avoid rebasing a shared branch directly

   Rebasing shared branches breaks history for others, so avoid it.

2. Step 2: Use a new local branch and cherry-pick commits

   Create a fresh branch from main, apply your commits cleanly, then push as new branch to avoid rewriting shared history.

3. Final Answer:

   Create a new local branch from main, cherry-pick your commits, then push as a new branch. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Keep history clean = new branch + cherry-pick + push new [OK]

Hint: Use new branch + cherry-pick to avoid rebasing shared branches [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Force pushing rebased shared branch
• Merging instead of rebasing when clean history needed
• Deleting remote branch unnecessarily