Use git pull --rebase to reapply local commits to the top of the remotely updated branch, avoiding generating redundant merge commits, thus maintaining linear history. During execution, the local submission is temporarily saved, the latest changes are pulled, and then the local submission is replayed one by one. If a conflict occurs, you need to resolve it manually and run git rebase --continue to continue, or terminate with git rebase --abort. It is recommended to use it only on unshared feature branches, avoid rebaseing of common branches such as main and prevent affecting collaborators. Rebase can be enabled by default through git config settings. Before the operation, you should first git fetch to ensure the latest information is obtained to maintain the clean history and synchronize changes in a timely manner.

When you want to update your current branch with the latest changes from another branch (like main or develop ) while keeping a clean, linear commit history, using git pull --rebase is a solid choice. Instead of creating a merge commit, rebase replays your local commits on top of the incoming changes.

What Happens During a Rebase Pull

Rebasing during a pull means:

• Your local commits are temporarily set aside.
• The latest changes from the remote branch are fetched and applied.
• Your commits are then reapplied one by one on top of the updated branch.

This results in a cleaner history without unnecessary merge bubbles.

How to Pull Changes with Rebase

To pull changes using rebase, run:

git pull --rebase origin main

Replace main with the target branch you're pulling from (eg, develop ).

You can also set rebase as the default behavior for a branch to avoid typing --rebase every time:

git config branch.main.rebase true

Or enable it globally:

git config --global pull.rebase true

Handling Conflicts During Rebase

If Git encounters a conflict while rebasing:

• Git pauses the rebase and marks the conflicted files.
• Edit the files to resolve the conflicts manually.
• After fixing, stage the resolved file: git add <file> .
• Continue the rebase: git rebase --continue .

If you want to abort the rebase and return to the state before pulling:

git rebase --abort

Best Practices

Use rebase when working on a feature branch that hasn't been shared widely. Avoid rebasing public branches (like main ) since rewriting shared history can cause issues for collaborators.

Always fetch the latest changes before rebasing:

git fetch origin

Then proceed with rebase to ensure you're up to date.

Basically, git pull --rebase keeps your history neighbor and your work up to date—just watch out for conflicts and never rebase commits that others depend on.

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