When to rebase vs when to merge in Git - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the command to update your feature branch with the latest changes from main using rebase.

Git

git checkout feature-branch
git [1] main

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Apush

Bmerge

Ccommit

Drebase

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'merge' here creates a merge commit instead of rebasing.

Using 'commit' or 'push' does not update your branch with main.

Use git rebase main to replay your feature branch commits on top of the latest main branch commits.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to combine changes from a feature branch into main using merge.

Git

git checkout main
git [1] feature-branch

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amerge

Bpull

Cfetch

Drebase

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'rebase' here would replay main commits onto feature-branch, not merge.

Using 'pull' or 'fetch' does not merge branches.

Use git merge feature-branch to combine the feature branch changes into main, preserving history.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to rebase your feature branch onto main.

Git

git checkout feature-branch
git [1] origin/main

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Acommit

Bmerge

Crebase

Dpush

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'merge' instead of 'rebase' causes a merge commit.

Using 'commit' or 'push' does not update the branch.

The correct command is git rebase origin/main to rebase your local feature branch onto the remote main branch.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a new branch and switch to it before rebasing.

Git

git [1] new-feature

git checkout [2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Abranch

Bfeature-branch

Cnew-feature

Dcheckout

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'checkout' instead of 'branch' to create a branch.

Switching to a branch name that was not created.

First, create the branch with git branch new-feature, then switch to it with git checkout new-feature.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a merge commit with a message after merging feature-branch into main.

Git

git checkout [1]
git merge [2] -m "[3]"

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amain

Bfeature-branch

CMerge feature-branch into main

Drebase

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'rebase' instead of 'merge' for combining branches.

Merging into the wrong branch.

Switch to main, merge feature-branch with a message describing the merge.

Practice

1. What is the main reason to use git rebase instead of git merge?

easy

A. To delete the feature branch after merging

B. To keep all branch merge points visible in history

C. To create a clean, linear history without merge commits

D. To automatically resolve all conflicts

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand rebase purpose

   Rebase moves commits to create a straight line history without merge commits.

2. Step 2: Compare with merge

   Merge keeps all branch points and creates merge commits, showing full history.

3. Final Answer:

   To create a clean, linear history without merge commits -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Rebase = linear history [OK]

Hint: Rebase = linear history, Merge = full branch history [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking merge creates linear history
• Believing rebase deletes branches
• Assuming rebase auto-resolves conflicts

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

easy

A. git rebase origin/main

B. git merge main

C. git checkout main && git rebase

D. git rebase main

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify rebase command

   The command git rebase main rebases the current branch onto main.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   git merge main merges, not rebases; git checkout main && git rebase is incomplete; git rebase origin/main rebases onto remote branch, not local main.

3. Final Answer:

   git rebase main -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Rebase syntax = git rebase branch [OK]

Hint: Rebase current branch onto main: git rebase main [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing merge and rebase commands
• Using incomplete rebase syntax
• Rebasing onto remote branch unintentionally

3. You have a feature branch with 3 commits diverged from main. After running git rebase main, what will the commit history look like?

medium

A. The 3 commits will be replayed on top of the latest main commits

B. The 3 commits will be merged into a single commit on main

C. The 3 commits will be deleted and replaced by main commits

D. The 3 commits will remain unchanged and main will be merged

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand rebase effect on commits

   Rebase takes your commits and re-applies them on top of the target branch, here main.

2. Step 2: Compare with merge behavior

   Merge combines histories with a merge commit; rebase rewrites history to appear linear.

3. Final Answer:

   The 3 commits will be replayed on top of the latest main commits -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Rebase = replay commits on new base [OK]

Hint: Rebase replays commits on top of target branch [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking rebase merges commits
• Assuming commits are deleted
• Confusing merge and rebase results

4. You tried to rebase your branch onto main but got conflicts. What is the correct way to continue after resolving conflicts?

medium

A. Run git rebase --continue after fixing conflicts

B. Run git merge --continue after fixing conflicts

C. Run git commit to finish the rebase

D. Run git rebase --abort to keep the changes

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify rebase conflict resolution

   After fixing conflicts during rebase, you must run git rebase --continue to proceed.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   git merge --continue is for merge conflicts; git commit alone doesn't continue rebase; git rebase --abort cancels rebase.

3. Final Answer:

   Run git rebase --continue after fixing conflicts -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Fix conflicts + git rebase --continue [OK]

Hint: After conflict fix in rebase, run git rebase --continue [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using git merge --continue during rebase
• Running git commit instead of rebase continue
• Aborting rebase instead of continuing

5. Your team wants to keep a clear record of all branch merges for auditing, but also wants to avoid complex conflict resolution during integration. Which strategy should you choose?

hard

A. Use git rebase to keep history linear and avoid merge commits

B. Use git merge to preserve branch history and avoid rewriting commits

C. Use git rebase and then merge to keep both histories

D. Use git cherry-pick to manually apply commits

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand audit needs

   Keeping a clear record means preserving all branch merge points and history.

2. Step 2: Compare merge and rebase for conflicts

   Merge preserves history and avoids rewriting commits, reducing conflict complexity; rebase rewrites history and can cause conflicts.

3. Final Answer:

   Use git merge to preserve branch history and avoid rewriting commits -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Audit needs = merge to keep history [OK]

Hint: Preserve history and audit: choose git merge [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing rebase when audit needs full history
• Mixing rebase and merge without clear purpose
• Using cherry-pick for full branch integration