Git cherry-pick: selecting specific commits

In the world of Git, cherry-picking refers to selecting specific commits from one branch and applying them to another. This powerful feature allows developers to choose and transfer only the commits they need, without incorporating the entire branch history.

Understanding cherry-pick

Cherry-picking is commonly used in collaborative environments where multiple branches are maintained for feature development, bug fixes, or hotfixes. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to pick a specific commit from one branch and apply it to another, avoiding the need to merge the whole branch or manually copying the changes.

When you cherry-pick a commit, Git identifies the changes made in the selected commit and applies them to the current branch. It generates a new commit with the same changes, creating a snapshot identical to the original commit but with a different commit hash.

How to cherry-pick specific commits

To cherry-pick a commit, follow these steps:

1. Ensure you are on the branch where you want to apply the selected commit.
2. Locate the commit hash or identifier of the commit you wish to cherry-pick. This can be obtained from the commit history.
3. Use the following Git command to apply the cherry-pick:

git cherry-pick <commit-hash>

Replace <commit-hash> with the actual hash of the commit you want to cherry-pick.

Git will attempt to apply the changes made in the selected commit to the current branch. If the changes don't conflict with the existing code, Git will successfully apply the commit and create a new commit to reflect the cherry-picked changes.

Resolving conflicts during cherry-pick

Conflict resolution may arise when cherry-picking commits if the changes being applied conflict with the current state of the repository. Git will pause the cherry-pick process and prompt you to manually resolve the conflicts before proceeding.

During conflict resolution, Git will mark the conflicting sections within the affected files. Open the conflicting files and modify them according to your requirements, keeping in mind the merged state you desire. Once the conflicts are resolved, use the following command to continue the cherry-pick:

git cherry-pick --continue

If you decide to abort the cherry-pick due to unresolvable conflicts or other reasons, use the command:

git cherry-pick --abort

This will revert the cherry-pick attempt and restore the repository to its pre-cherry-pick state.

Cherry-picking multiple commits

Git allows the cherry-picking of multiple commits in one go. Simply provide the commit hashes of the desired commits in the order you want them applied:

git cherry-pick <commit-hash1> <commit-hash2> <commit-hash3>

Git will apply the provided commits one after another, creating new commits for each. Depending on the nature of the selected commits, conflicts might arise during the process, requiring resolution as mentioned earlier.

Conclusion

Git cherry-pick is a powerful way to select specific commits from one branch and apply them to another. With this feature, you can easily transfer changes without merging the entire branch history or manually copying code. It enables efficient collaboration and targeted code transfers in Git repositories, enhancing your development workflow.