Merge vs rebase vs cherry-pick?

Definition:

Merge, rebase and cherry-pick integrate changes through different history operations. Merge combines histories, rebase recreates commits on a new base, and cherry-pick recreates selected changes on the current branch. Recreated commits receive new IDs, which matters when other people already depend on the old history.

Key points:

• Merge combines branch histories without rewriting existing commits.

• Rebase replays commits on a new base and changes their IDs.

• Cherry-pick applies one selected commit; avoid rebasing shared history without coordination.

• A linear history can be useful, but shared-branch coordination matters more than a visually tidy commit graph.

Interview point:

• Explain when preserving history is important and why rewriting shared commits can disrupt collaborators.