Git Advanced Workflows: Rebase, Cherry-pick, and Interactive History

Git Advanced Workflows: Rebase, Cherry-pick, and Interactive History

Basic Git (add, commit, push) gets you started. Advanced Git makes you a pro. Let's master the techniques that separate beginners from experts.

Why Advanced Git Matters

Professional developers need:

• 📝 Clean commit history
• 🔄 Flexible branching strategies
• 🛠️ Ability to fix mistakes
• 👥 Smooth team collaboration

Git Rebase: Rewrite History

Merge vs Rebase

Merge:

main:    A---B---C---D
              \       \
feature:       E---F---G---M

Rebase:

main:    A---B---C---D
                      \
feature:               E'--F'--G'

Basic Rebase

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What happens:

1. Git finds common ancestor
2. Saves your commits (E, F, G)
3. Applies main's commits
4. Replays your commits on top

Handling Conflicts

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Interactive Rebase: Clean Up Commits

Squash Commits

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Reorder Commits

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Edit Commit Message

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Split a Commit

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Cherry-pick: Select Specific Commits

Basic Cherry-pick

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Cherry-pick Range

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Cherry-pick Without Commit

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Git Reflog: Recover Lost Commits

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Git Stash: Save Work in Progress

Basic Stash

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Stash Specific Files

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Create Branch from Stash

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Git Bisect: Find Bugs with Binary Search

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Automated Bisect

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Git Worktree: Multiple Working Directories

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Advanced Reset Strategies

Soft Reset (Keep Changes Staged)

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Mixed Reset (Default - Keep Changes Unstaged)

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Hard Reset (Discard Changes)

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Git Hooks: Automate Workflows

Pre-commit Hook

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Commit Message Hook

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Git Aliases: Save Time

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Workflow Strategies

Git Flow

main (production)
  ↓
develop (integration)
  ↓
feature/user-auth
feature/payment
hotfix/critical-bug

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Trunk-Based Development

main (always deployable)
  ↓
short-lived feature branches (< 1 day)

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Best Practices

1. ✅ Commit often, perfect later (interactive rebase)
2. ✅ Write meaningful commit messages
3. ✅ Rebase feature branches before merging
4. ✅ Use branches for everything
5. ✅ Never rebase public history
6. ✅ Review changes before committing
7. ✅ Keep commits atomic (one logical change)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Don't rebase public branches

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❌ Don't force push to shared branches

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❌ Don't commit secrets

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Conclusion

Advanced Git gives you superpowers:

• Clean, professional commit history
• Flexible workflows
• Easy bug hunting
• Confidence to experiment

Master these techniques, and Git becomes a powerful ally, not just a version control tool! 🎯✨