Cherry-Picking Commits in Git

This article continues our "Advanced Git" series. Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter for updates on future articles!

In the previous installment, we explored rebasing and merging. While subtly different, both git merge and git rebase serve the same fundamental purpose: integrating changes from one branch into another.

This article focuses on git cherry-pick, a powerful command enabling the selective integration of individual commits from any branch into your current HEAD. This contrasts sharply with git merge and git rebase, which incorporate all new commits from the source branch.

Why selectively apply a single commit? A key use case is correcting errors. Imagine accidentally committing to the wrong branch. cherry-pick simplifies the fix: switch to the correct branch and cherry-pick the errant commit.

Advanced Git Series:

• Part 1: Crafting the Ideal Git Commit
• Part 2: Effective Git Branching Strategies
• Part 3: Streamlining Collaboration with Pull Requests
• Part 4: Resolving Merge Conflicts
• Part 5: Rebasing vs. Merging: A Comparison
• Part 6: Mastering Interactive Rebase
• Part 7: Cherry-Picking Commits in Git (You are here!)
• Part 8: Recovering Lost Commits with the Reflog

A word of caution: Avoid over-reliance on cherry-pick. Branch-level workflows, facilitated by git merge and git rebase, are generally preferred. cherry-pick is a valuable tool for specific situations, not a replacement for standard merging or rebasing.

Relocating a Commit

Consider this scenario: a commit intended for the feature/newsletter branch mistakenly landed in master. The following Tower screenshot (a Git GUI for macOS and Windows) illustrates this, highlighting commit 26bf1b48 incorrectly placed in master:

Alternatively, the command line reveals the issue:

$ git log
commit 26bf1b4808ba9783e4fabb19ec81e7a4c8160194 (HEAD -> master)
Author: Tobias Günther
Date:   Fri Oct 5 09:58:03 2018  0200

    Newsletter signup page

Commit 26bf1b48 belongs in feature/newsletter. Let's use cherry-pick to move it:

$ git checkout feature/newsletter
Switched to branch 'feature/newsletter'
$ git status
On branch feature/newsletter
nothing to commit, working tree clean
$ git cherry-pick 26bf1b48
[feature/newsletter 7fb55d0] Newsletter signup page
 Author: Tobias Günther
 Date: Fri Oct 5 09:58:03 2018  0200
 1 file changed, 0 insertions( ), 0 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 signup.html

git log now shows the commit in feature/newsletter:

$ git log
commit 7fb55d06a8e70fdce46921a8a3d3a9de7f7fb8d7 (HEAD -> feature/newsletter)
Author: Tobias Günther
Date:   Fri Oct 5 09:58:03 2018  0200

    Newsletter signup page

Note: cherry-pick creates a copy of the commit, leaving the original intact.

Cleaning Up

The "incorrect" commit remains in master. git reset removes it:

$ git checkout master
Switched to branch 'master'
$ git reset --hard HEAD~1
HEAD is now at 776f8ca Change about title and delete error page

The Tower GUI visualizes this entire process.

A Specialized Tool, Not a Daily Driver

Prioritize merge or rebase whenever possible. Reserve cherry-pick for situations where they are unsuitable, specifically for moving individual commits. Remember, git cherry-pick duplicates commits; always clean up afterward.

Explore my free "Advanced Git Kit" for deeper dives into Git tools, including branching strategies, interactive rebase, the reflog, and submodules.

Happy cherry-picking, and see you in the next "Advanced Git" installment!

Advanced Git Series:

• Part 1: Crafting the Ideal Git Commit
• Part 2: Effective Git Branching Strategies
• Part 3: Streamlining Collaboration with Pull Requests
• Part 4: Resolving Merge Conflicts
• Part 5: Rebasing vs. Merging: A Comparison
• Part 6: Mastering Interactive Rebase
• Part 7: Cherry-Picking Commits in Git (You are here!)
• Part 8: Recovering Lost Commits with the Reflog

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