What is the difference between rebase and merge in Git?

Merge combines branches, creating a new merge commit. Rebase moves commits from one branch onto another, rewriting history.

Merge:

• Preserves the history of changes in its original form.
• Creates a new commit.
• Easier to track the origin of changes.

Rebase:

• Creates a linear history.
• Does not create a new merge commit.
• Rewrites commit history.
• Can cause issues when collaborating if the history has already been published.

Comparison:

Property	Merge	Rebase
History	Linear with branches (merge commit)	Linear (rewrites history)
Commits	Adds a new merge commit	Moves existing commits to a new place
Tracking	Easier to understand where changes came from	Can make tracking more difficult
Collaboration	Recommended for published branches	Not recommended for published branches

Merge Example:

// Switch to the target branch
git checkout main

// Merge feature branch
git merge feature

Rebase Example:

// Switch to the branch to be rebased
git checkout feature

// Rebase feature branch onto main
git rebase main