Rebase vs merge mental model in Git - Quick Revision & Key Differences

Recall & Review

beginner

What does git merge do in simple terms?

It combines the histories of two branches by creating a new commit that joins them together, keeping all previous commits intact.

beginner

What is the main effect of git rebase?

It moves or 'replays' your branch commits on top of another branch, creating a cleaner, linear history without merge commits.

intermediate

How does git merge affect commit history compared to git rebase?

git merge preserves the exact history and shows branches joining, while git rebase rewrites history to look like a straight line.

intermediate

Why might you choose git rebase over git merge?

To keep a clean, easy-to-follow project history without extra merge commits, making it look like changes happened in a straight line.

advanced

What is a risk of using git rebase on shared branches?

Rebasing rewrites history, so if others share the branch, it can cause confusion and conflicts when they try to update their copies.

What does git merge create when combining branches?

A Deletes the old branch

B A new commit that joins the branches

C Rewrites all commits in a linear order

D Removes conflicts automatically

git merge creates a new commit that joins the histories of two branches, preserving all commits.

Which command rewrites commit history to make it linear?

A git merge

B git clone

C git rebase

D git commit

git rebase moves commits to create a straight, linear history.

Why should you be careful using git rebase on shared branches?

A It can cause conflicts by rewriting history others rely on

B It slows down the repository

C It merges branches automatically

D It deletes the branch permanently

Rebasing changes commit history, which can confuse others working on the same branch.

Which is a benefit of using git merge?

A Deletes old commits

B Creates a linear history

C Removes all conflicts

D Keeps all branch history intact

git merge preserves the full history of branches, showing how they joined.

What is a visual difference in history between merge and rebase?

A Merge shows branches joining; rebase shows a straight line

B Merge deletes commits; rebase duplicates commits

C Merge rewrites history; rebase preserves history

D Merge creates conflicts; rebase removes branches

Merge keeps branch structure visible; rebase makes history look like one straight line.

Explain in your own words the difference between git merge and git rebase.

Think about how the project history looks after each command.

When would you prefer to use git rebase instead of git merge?

Consider the goal of a tidy project history.