Q48. Differences between Git rebase and Git merge?

In production, both are used to integrate changes between branches, but they behave very differently.

Git Merge

• Combines two branches and creates a merge commit
• Preserves the complete history of branch work
• Used when we want to keep a record of parallel development

✅ Example use case:

• Merging a feature branch into main after code review

git merge feature-login

Pros

• History is not rewritten
• Safe for shared branches

Cons

• Creates extra merge commits, history becomes complex

Git Rebase

• Moves commits from one branch onto another
• Creates a linear clean history
• Mostly used before raising pull requests

git rebase main

✅ Example use case:

• Updating your feature branch with latest main branch changes

Pros

• Clean commit history
• Easier debugging

Cons

• Rewrites commit history (dangerous on shared branches)

👉 Production Rule:

• Merge for shared branches

Rebase only for local branches