Interactive Git Rebase Guide

Interactive Git Rebase Guide

Interactive rebase is a powerful Git feature that allows you to modify your commit history. This guide will show you how to use interactive rebase to clean up, reorganize, and perfect your commit history.

What You’ll Learn

• How to start an interactive rebase
• Different rebase commands and their effects
• How to modify commit messages
• How to combine, split, and reorder commits
• Best practices for rebasing

Implementation Steps

1. Starting Interactive Rebase

   # Rebase last 3 commits
   git rebase -i HEAD~3
   

   • Opens editor with commit list
   • Commits are listed in reverse chronological order
   • Each line shows commit hash, message, and available commands

2. Basic Rebase Commands

   pick   abc1234 First commit
   reword def5678 Second commit
   edit   ghi9012 Third commit
   

   • pick: Keep commit as is
   • reword: Change commit message
   • edit: Stop for amending
   • squash: Combine with previous commit
   • fixup: Combine and discard message
   • drop: Remove commit

3. Modifying Commit Messages

   # After selecting 'reword'
   git commit --amend
   git rebase --continue
   

   • Edit message in editor
   • Save and close to continue rebase

4. Combining Commits

   pick   abc1234 First commit
   squash def5678 Second commit
   squash ghi9012 Third commit
   

   • Combines multiple commits into one
   • Allows editing final commit message

Best Practices

1. Before Starting Rebase

   • Create a backup branch
   • Ensure working directory is clean
   • Check if commits are pushed
   • Review commit history

2. During Rebase

   • Take your time to review changes
   • Test after each significant change
   • Keep commit messages clear and descriptive
   • Use git status to check progress

3. After Rebase

   • Test the codebase thoroughly
   • Verify commit history is correct
   • Push changes if necessary
   • Communicate with team members

4. Safety Measures

   • Use git reflog to recover from mistakes
   • Keep backup branches
   • Don’t rebase shared commits
   • Test after each rebase operation

Common Use Cases

1. Cleaning Up Commit History

   git rebase -i HEAD~5
   # Reorder and combine commits
   

2. Fixing Commit Messages

   git rebase -i HEAD~3
   # Change 'pick' to 'reword' for target commit
   

3. Splitting a Commit

   git rebase -i HEAD~3
   # Change 'pick' to 'edit' for target commit
   git reset HEAD~1
   git add file1.txt
   git commit -m "First part"
   git add file2.txt
   git commit -m "Second part"
   git rebase --continue
   

4. Removing Sensitive Data

   git rebase -i HEAD~5
   # Change 'pick' to 'edit' for target commit
   git reset HEAD~1
   # Remove sensitive data
   git add .
   git commit -m "Remove sensitive data"
   git rebase --continue
   

Advanced Usage

1. Rebasing onto Another Branch

   git rebase -i main
   

2. Using Rebase to Update Feature Branch

   git checkout feature
   git rebase -i main
   

3. Interactive Rebase with Conflicts

   # Resolve conflicts
   git add resolved-files
   git rebase --continue
   

4. Aborting Rebase

   git rebase --abort
   

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Merge Conflicts

   # Resolve conflicts
   git add resolved-files
   git rebase --continue
   

2. Lost Commits

   git reflog
   git reset --hard HEAD@{1}
   

3. Wrong Rebase Target

   git rebase --abort
   # Start over with correct target
   

Conclusion

Interactive rebase is a powerful tool for maintaining a clean Git history. Remember to:

• Always create backup branches
• Test thoroughly after rebasing
• Be careful with shared commits
• Keep commit messages clear
• Use appropriate rebase commands

Next Steps

After mastering interactive rebase, you might want to:

• Learn about Git hooks for automation
• Explore advanced Git workflows
• Study Git’s internal mechanisms
• Practice with different rebase scenarios