Company
Date Published
Author
-
Word count
2450
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

When merging pull requests on GitHub, choosing the right strategy from "merge commit," "squash and merge," or "rebase and merge" depends on the project's goals and the importance of preserving commit history. The "merge commit" option maintains a complete audit trail, beneficial for open-source projects that prioritize transparency, while "squash and merge" simplifies history by consolidating branch commits into a single commit, ideal for keeping a clean project history. The "rebase and merge" strategy, which replays branch commits onto the main branch, is suited for teams that value a linear commit history but can lead to conflicts and loss of original timestamps. To enhance workflow efficiency, some companies are adopting "stacking" workflows, which involve breaking large tasks into smaller increments and integrating changes frequently to maintain a clean, linear history, with tools like Graphite automating the process. Each strategy comes with its own set of advantages and challenges, and selecting the best method involves weighing factors such as commit history requirements, repository type, and team preferences.