What is the difference between “git rebase” and “git merge” in Git version control?

What is the difference between "git rebase" and "git merge" in Git version control?

Git rebase and git merge are two common operations used in Git version control to integrate changes from one branch into another. The main difference between git rebase and git merge lies in how they incorporate the changes and organize the commit history.

Git Merge:

Git merge is a command that merges the changes from one branch into another branch. It creates a new commit that combines the commit history of both branches, resulting in a linear history with multiple merge commits. This is useful for preserving the original branch history and keeping a clear record of when the merges occurred.

Git Rebase:

Git rebase, on the other hand, is a command that rewrites the commit history by moving the commits from one branch to another. It restructures the commit history into a straight line, without creating merge commits. This can result in a cleaner and more organized history, but it can also cause conflicts if the branches have diverged significantly.

In summary, the main difference between git rebase and git merge is how they handle the commit history. Git merge creates merge commits to integrate changes, while git rebase rewrites the commit history to linearize it.