What is the difference between Rebase and Merge?

Merge combines changes from one branch into another, creating a new merge commit. The original commit history is preserved but can become non-linear.

Rebase moves commits from one branch onto the tip of another, rewriting the commit history. The history becomes linear, but commits in the original branch are rewritten.

Characteristic	Merge	Rebase
History	Preserved, can be non-linear	Rewritten, becomes linear
New commits	Creates a merge commit	Moves existing commits
Risks	Less, if no conflicts	Greater, when working with shared branches
Usage	Combining public branches	Integrating private branches