Git rebase is a valuable tool for maintaining a clean and organized project history, especially when working with multiple branches. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a hands-on example of how to rebase your feature branch from the main branch. This step-by-step tutorial is designed for beginners, ensuring you understand each command and its purpose. By the end of this article, you’ll be confident in using Git rebase to keep your branches up-to-date and your project history tidy.

Practical Example to Git Rebase from Main Branch

Follow these steps to rebase your feature branch from the main branch:

  1. Check Your Current Branch

    First, make sure you are on your feature branch. You can check your current branch using:

    git branch

    This command will list all branches and highlight the current one with an asterisk (*).

  2. Switch to Your Feature Branch

    If you’re not already on your feature branch, switch to it using:

    git checkout your-feature-branch

    Replace your-feature-branch with the name of your branch.

  3. Fetch Latest Changes

    Before rebasing, ensure you have the latest changes from the main branch. Fetch these changes using:

    git fetch origin

    This command updates your local copy of the repository with any new changes from the remote repository.

  4. Start the Rebase

    Now, start the rebase process by running:

    git rebase origin/main

    Here, origin is the name of the remote repository, and main is the main branch. This command takes the changes from the main branch and applies them to your feature branch.

  5. Resolve Any Conflicts

    Sometimes, changes in the main branch might conflict with your changes. If Git finds conflicts, it will pause the rebase and let you resolve them.

    • Identify Conflicts: Git will show you which files have conflicts.
    • Open Conflicted Files: Open these files in your code editor. Conflicted parts will be marked with , ======, and >>>>>>.
    • Resolve Conflicts: Edit the file to resolve conflicts. Remove the conflict markers and make the code look as it should.
    • Add Resolved Files: After resolving, add the resolved files using: 
      git add resolved-file

      Replace resolved-file with the name of the file you resolved.

    • Continue Rebase: Once all conflicts are resolved, continue the rebase process with: 
      git rebase --continue
  6. Finish the Rebase

    After resolving any conflicts, the rebase will continue applying the remaining changes. Once done, you’ll get a message that the rebase is complete.

  7. Push Your Changes

    Finally, push your rebased branch to the remote repository using:

    git push --force-with-lease

    The --force-with-lease option is safer than --force as it checks if the branch has been updated before overwriting it.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully rebased your feature branch from the main branch. Rebasing may seem tricky at first, but with practice, it becomes a powerful tool in your Git toolkit. Remember, the key steps are fetching the latest changes, starting the rebase, resolving conflicts, and pushing the changes.

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