git rebase — What It Does & How to Use It
git rebase reapplies your branch's commits onto a different base, creating a linear history. Use -i for interactive editing (squash/reword/drop) and --onto to specify a new base. Don't rebase shared history after push.
Open the interactive DevRef Hub tool →Key facts
| Basic | git rebase main |
|---|---|
| Interactive | git rebase -i HEAD~5 |
| New base | git rebase --onto main feature-base feature/x |
| Resume | --continue / --abort |
Frequently asked questions
What does git rebase do?
It replays your commits onto another base to create linear history.
git rebase vs merge?
Rebase rewrites commits for a linear history; merge keeps both histories with a merge commit.
Related pages
git rebase is part of DevRef Hub on GOAT Lab — a free reference you can use without signing up, and it works offline. Open the tool above for any custom value.
Part of GOAT Lab — 26 free, browser-based science, engineering and developer tools. No sign-up.