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Git Rebase vs Merge Cheat Sheet

Choose between rebase and merge based on whether you want linear history or preserved branch context.

What this cheat sheet is for

This git rebase vs merge reference helps you complete common developer tasks quickly and avoid repeated trial-and-error when working under deadlines.

  • When you need a reliable command or pattern during debugging and incident response.
  • When you are implementing a feature and want a known-good syntax example immediately.
  • When onboarding teammates and documenting repeatable workflows for daily use.
  • When reviewing pull requests and verifying that command usage follows best practices.
  • Keep a feature branch up to date with main.
  • Prepare clean commit history before opening a PR.
  • Integrate long-running branches without losing context.

Merge workflow

Merge main into your feature branch

git checkout feature/login
git merge main

Example:

git merge --no-ff feature/login

Resolve conflicts then finish merge

git status
git add .
git commit

Example:

git merge --abort

Rebase workflow

Rebase feature branch onto main

git checkout feature/login
git rebase main

Example:

git rebase --continue

Interactive cleanup before push

git rebase -i HEAD~5

Example:

git push --force-with-lease

When to choose each

Preserve branch history with merge

git merge feature/login

Example:

git log --graph --oneline --all

Linear history with rebase

git rebase main

Example:

git log --oneline

Common mistakes / Pitfalls

  • Rebasing commits already pushed to shared branches causes history rewrite issues.
  • Forgetting --force-with-lease after rebase leads to rejected push confusion.
  • Using merge and rebase together randomly makes commit history hard to read.

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Last updated: February 2026