Question 1

What is a merge conflict and how do I resolve it?

Accepted Answer

A conflict occurs when two branches changed the same region of a file and Git cannot determine which version is correct. It is not an error, and it does not mean anyone did anything wrong. Git resolves everything it can automatically and stops only where a human decision is genuinely required.

When it happens, the affected files contain both versions separated by markers. The section above the divider is the content from the branch you are on; below it is the content from the branch being merged. The markers themselves must be removed as part of resolving.

Resolving means editing the file into the state you actually want, which is frequently neither version verbatim but a combination. Then stage the file to record that it is resolved, and continue the merge or rebase.

A few practical points make this much less unpleasant.

The status command lists exactly which files are unresolved, and is worth checking before continuing, since a partially resolved merge is easy to commit by accident.

Searching the codebase for the conflict markers before committing catches the classic mistake of leaving them in, which produces code that will not parse.

Aborting is always available and returns you to the state before you started. If a merge turns out to be larger than expected, aborting and approaching it differently is often faster than pushing through.

A merge tool is worth configuring if you resolve conflicts regularly, as a three-way view showing both sides and their common ancestor makes the intent of each change much clearer than the inline markers do.

The most effective prevention is integrating frequently. Conflicts scale with how long branches diverge.

Question 2

When should I use git rebase instead of git merge?

Accepted Answer

Both commands integrate work from one branch into another, and they differ in what happens to history. Merge records that two lines of development came together, creating a merge commit with two

Question 3

How do I undo the last commit in Git without losing my changes?

Accepted Answer

Which command you want depends on whether the commit has been pushed, because that decides whether rewriting history is safe. If the commit is still local, a soft reset to the previous commit is what

Question 4

What does detached HEAD mean in Git and how do I get out of it?

Accepted Answer

Normally HEAD is a pointer to a branch name, and that branch points to a commit. Committing moves the branch forward and HEAD follows along. A detached HEAD means HEAD points straight at a commit

Question 5

What is trunk-based development?

Accepted Answer

A branching strategy where everyone commits to a single shared branch frequently — at least daily — with short-lived branches lasting hours rather than weeks. It is the practice most strongly

Question 6

What is the difference between git fetch and git pull?

Accepted Answer

Fetching downloads new commits from the remote and updates your remote-tracking references. It changes nothing about your working tree or your local branches. After fetching you know what has

Question 7

What does git stash do and when should I use it?

Accepted Answer

Stashing takes your uncommitted changes, saves them aside, and returns the working tree to a clean state matching the last commit. The changes are not lost; they are stored on a stack you can reapply

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