Understanding Git Cherry-pick: Apply Specific Changes with Precision

In collaborative development environments, you’ll often find yourself in situations where you need to integrate specific changes from one branch into another without merging the entire branch. This is where Git’s powerful cherry-pick command comes into play. By allowing you to apply individual commits from one branch to another, git cherry-pick provides fine-grained control over how and when changes are introduced.

In this blog, we’ll dive deep into how git cherry-pick works, its use cases, and best practices for integrating it into your workflow.


What is Git Cherry-pick?

At its core, git cherry-pick allows you to apply changes from a specific commit on one branch to another branch. Instead of merging the entire branch or rebasing it, you simply “pick” the commits you need and apply them.

This command is especially useful when you want to pull in only a subset of commits from a branch, such as a bug fix or an individual feature, without pulling in other unrelated changes.


How Does Git Cherry-pick Work?

The basic syntax for cherry-picking is simple:

git cherry-pick <commit-hash>

Here, <commit-hash> refers to the unique identifier (hash) of the commit you want to pick.

Example Workflow:

  1. Let’s say you’re working on the main branch and you want to apply a commit from the feature branch.
  2. First, you find the commit hash on the feature branch by running:
   git log feature
  1. Once you have the hash of the commit you want, you switch back to the main branch:
   git checkout main
  1. Now you cherry-pick the commit:
   git cherry-pick <commit-hash>

The commit from the feature branch is now applied to the main branch as if it were originally made there.


Use Cases for Git Cherry-pick

  1. Applying Bug Fixes
    If you’ve fixed a bug on a feature branch but don’t want to merge the entire branch yet, you can cherry-pick the bug fix and apply it directly to the main branch.
  2. Backporting Fixes to Older Releases
    Sometimes, you’ll need to apply a critical fix to an older release branch. Cherry-pick allows you to apply just the fix without bringing in all the newer commits.
  3. Selective Feature Rollout
    You might have multiple commits on a branch, but only one or two are ready for production. Cherry-pick allows you to roll out those features independently.
  4. Undoing Specific Changes
    You can also cherry-pick a previously reverted commit to reintroduce it after fixing the issue.

Resolving Conflicts in Git Cherry-pick

While git cherry-pick is powerful, it doesn’t always work seamlessly, especially if there are conflicting changes in the branch you’re cherry-picking to. If Git detects a conflict, it will pause the cherry-pick process and allow you to resolve the conflict manually.

How to Resolve Conflicts:

  1. After Git reports a conflict, open the conflicting files and make the necessary changes.
  2. Mark the conflicts as resolved:
   git add <file-name>
  1. Continue the cherry-pick process:
   git cherry-pick --continue

If you decide you don’t want to continue with the cherry-pick after all, you can abort it:

git cherry-pick --abort

Best Practices for Using Git Cherry-pick

  • Choose Commits Carefully: Always ensure that the commit you are cherry-picking is independent and doesn’t rely on earlier commits that aren’t being picked. Otherwise, you could introduce incomplete features or bugs.
  • Use Descriptive Commit Messages: After cherry-picking, you’ll have the option to edit the commit message. Make sure to note that the commit was cherry-picked, especially in collaborative environments.
  • Avoid Cherry-picking Large Changes: While cherry-picking small bug fixes or individual features is efficient, larger changes are better handled through merges or rebasing to maintain the integrity of the branch history.

When Not to Use Git Cherry-pick

While cherry-picking is highly useful, it’s not always the right choice for every situation:

  • When Commits Are Dependent: If a commit relies on earlier commits or introduces features that depend on multiple changes, cherry-picking can result in partial implementations or broken functionality.
  • When You Need the Entire Branch: If the changes on a branch are cohesive and interrelated, merging or rebasing the entire branch is often a better option than cherry-picking individual commits.

Conclusion

Git cherry-pick is a powerful tool that gives you the flexibility to apply specific changes from one branch to another. Whether you’re applying bug fixes, rolling out selective features, or backporting important updates, cherry-picking allows you to control your version history with precision. By mastering this advanced Git technique, you can become more efficient at managing your code and ensuring smooth collaboration within your team.


Vijeesh TP

Proactive and result oriented professional with proven ability to work as a good team player towards organizational goals and having 20+ years of experience in design and development of complex systems and business solutions for domains such as ecommerce, hospitality BFSI, ITIL and other web based information systems.  Linkedin Profile

Leave a Reply