git cherry pick commits from another branch

Guri Bee

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21-10-2024

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Cherry-Picking Your Way to a Better Git Workflow

Git's cherry-pick command is a powerful tool that lets you selectively transfer individual commits from one branch to another. Think of it as grabbing a specific change from another branch and applying it to your current work. This can be immensely helpful in various scenarios, like fixing a bug on a different branch, or bringing a specific feature from another development line into your own.

But how does it work?

Imagine you're working on a feature branch called feature-A. You've made several commits, but one particular commit (let's say commit abcdef) from the main branch has a crucial fix you need in feature-A.

This is where cherry-pick comes into play. You can grab that specific commit from main and apply it to your feature-A branch.

How to cherry-pick a commit:

1. Switch to your target branch:

   git checkout feature-A
   

2. Cherry-pick the commit:

   git cherry-pick abcdef
   

Understanding the output:

After running the cherry-pick command, you might see different outcomes:

• Successful cherry-pick: Git will create a new commit on your current branch, containing the changes from the picked commit.
• Conflicts: If the picked commit introduces changes that conflict with your existing code, Git will stop and ask you to resolve the conflicts manually.
• Cherry-picking fails: If the picked commit depends on other commits that are not present in your current branch, the cherry-pick will fail.

Using cherry-pick strategically:

• Bug fixes: Transferring bug fixes from a stable branch to a feature branch without merging the entire stable branch.
• Feature integration: Bringing specific features from another development line into your branch without merging the entire branch.
• Reversing changes: Cherry-picking a commit with the --no-commit option allows you to apply the changes but leave them uncommitted, effectively reversing the changes.

Important points to remember:

• Cherry-picking can create duplicate commits: A cherry-picked commit will have a new commit ID, even if it's the same change.
• Cherry-picking can lead to a messy history: Using cherry-pick frequently can make your commit history more complex and harder to understand.
• Use with caution: Consider the potential consequences before cherry-picking commits, especially in large, complex projects.

Real-world example:

Let's say you're working on a feature branch called new-feature that relies on code from the main branch. However, the main branch has been updated with a critical bug fix in commit 1234567. Instead of merging the entire main branch into your new-feature branch, you can use cherry-pick to apply only the bug fix:

1. Switch to your new-feature branch:

   git checkout new-feature
   

2. Cherry-pick the bug fix commit:

   git cherry-pick 1234567
   

Now, you have the bug fix integrated into your new-feature branch without having to merge the entire main branch.

Conclusion:

Cherry-picking offers a flexible way to transfer specific commits between branches, providing a powerful tool for managing your Git workflow effectively. However, it's essential to understand the implications and use it judiciously to maintain a clear and understandable commit history.