How to Resolve Merge Conflicts With Git

Git is a powerful version control system that helps developers keep track of their code changes and collaborate effectively.

However, sometimes, when multiple developers work on the same code, conflicts can arise when merging the changes into a common branch.

In such scenarios, Git provides several tools to help resolve these conflicts and keep the codebase consistent.

In this tutorial, we will discuss the steps to resolve merge conflicts with Git, along with code examples.


Understanding Merge Conflicts

A merge conflict occurs when two or more branches contain changes to the same file, and Git cannot automatically determine which change should be used.

This can happen when two developers modify the same file, and one of them pushes their changes to the repository while the other is still working on their modifications.

When you try to merge the branch with the latest changes, Git will show you a conflict, and you will need to resolve it manually.

Identifying the Conflict

When a conflict occurs, Git will show you a message in the terminal that looks something like this:

$ git merge branch
Auto-merging file.txt
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt
Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.

This message indicates that there is a conflict in the file file.txt.

To see the details of the conflict, you can open the file in your text editor.

Resolving the Conflict

Once you have identified the conflict, you need to resolve it manually.

The conflicting code will be surrounded by special markers, indicating the different changes.

Here’s an example of what the conflicting code might look like:

<<<<<<< HEAD
This is the original code.
=======
This is the code from the branch.
>>>>>>> branch

The code between <<<<<<< HEAD and ======= represents the code in your current branch, while the code between ======= and >>>>>>> branch represents the code from the branch that you are trying to merge.

To resolve the conflict, you need to decide which code to keep and which to discard.

You can edit the file and remove the conflict markers, leaving only the code that you want to keep.

Here’s an example of what the resolved code might look like:

This is the resolved code.

Committing the Resolved Conflict

Once you have resolved the conflict, you need to commit the changes to the repository.

You can use the git add command to stage the resolved file, and then use the git commit command to commit the changes.

You can use the -m option to add a message to the commit:

$ git add file.txt
$ git commit -m "Resolved conflict in file.txt"

Conclusion

Resolving merge conflicts with Git can be a daunting task, especially for new users.

However, by following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily resolve conflicts and keep your codebase consistent.

Remember to always work with your team to ensure that everyone is aware of the changes being made to the code and to avoid conflicts in the first place.