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This article discusses the workflow of git cherry-pick and git merge commands. We use these two commands to integrate changes from one branch to another branch in the Git version control system.

However, some scenarios favor the use of one command over the other.

git cherry-pick command

git cherry-pickcommand is a useful Git utility that allows us to select arbitrary Git commits by reference and apply them to the current HEAD. We use this command to select a commit from one branch and apply it to another branch.

When should we use git cherry-pickthe command?

While useful, the git cherry-pick command is not always best practice. In some cases, the traditional git merge command is preferred.

Nonetheless, there are situations where we can find an ideal command. Let's discuss some.

Suppose you are working on a project with multiple branches. You make changes on one branch and later find out that you checked out in the wrong branch.

Since these changes don't belong to that branch, you can use git cherry-pickthe command to move the changes to the correct branch.

Note the commit hash, git checkoutswitch to the correct branch using the command, and then run cherry-pick as shown below.

$ git cherry-pick <commit-id>

git cherry-pickCommands are also ideal for team collaboration. Projects have shared code between front-end and back-end components.

One developer can use the git cherry-pick command to copy code from another developer.

We also use git cherry-pickthe command to fix bugs. Suppose you have started working on a new feature in your project and you discover an existing bug in the process.

You can create a commit that explicitly fixes the bug and cherry-pick it to the master branch. This command is also ideal for restoring lost commits.

git merge command

git mergeThe command is self-explanatory. It simply connects the commit histories of the two branches and creates a merge commit.

You can bring changes from your development branch into your master branch by merging the two. It is a non-destructive way to merge changes from one branch to another instead of the git rebase command.

Merging is very simple. All you need to do is switch to the branch you want to merge and run the command. Here is an example.

Assuming we have some commits in the develop branch that are relevant to the master branch, we can merge those changes into the master branch like this:

# Switch to the main branch
$ git checkout main
# Merge the two
$ git merge development

Difference between git cherry-pick and git merge

As we have seen, both commands are useful when integrating changes from one branch into another. However, the difference lies in how we use each command.

git cherry-pickThe command is great for sampling smaller subsets of a large Git repository. It comes in handy when you want to move specific commits between branches.

On the other hand, the git merge command is great for large numbers of commits. Cherry-picking twenty commits from one branch to another is not ideal.

git mergeCommands are more suitable for this scenario.

That said, each command has its pros and cons. Let’s discuss some.

The -m command reduces clutter in our repository, as opposed to git mergethe -m command git cherry-pick, which always introduces extraneous merge commits.

On the other hand, using the git cherry-pick command can lead to duplicate commits and confuse other developers, especially if you have a shared Git repository.

git mergeThe command will help you integrate changes faster, especially when working with many commits. The downside of this commit is that you may encounter merge conflicts.

git cherry-pickOf course, you may encounter merge conflicts using the command, but with git mergethe command, the more commits you make, the more likely you are to encounter conflicts.

git mergeThe git merge and git cherry-pickgit commands are useful when merging changes from one branch to another in Git . The difference lies in when and how to use each command.