merge vs rebase
Merge keeps history exactly as it happened and is safe for shared branches. Rebase rewrites history into a straight line, which reads better but should never be done on a branch other people are already working from.
merge
Combines two branches by creating a new merge commit with two parents. It preserves the full history of both branches exactly as it happened, and it's safe on shared branches.
"We merged the feature branch into main after the review was approved."
rebase
Takes the commits from one branch and replays them on top of another, rewriting history so it looks linear. It's cleaner to read, but it changes commit hashes, so it's risky on branches other people already pulled.
"I rebased my branch onto main to get the latest changes before opening the PR."
Interview tip
A strong interview answer mentions the golden rule: never rebase a branch that's already public or shared, because it rewrites commit hashes and breaks history for everyone else who pulled it.
Other comparisons
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