Git - Using git cherry-pick to Select Specific Commits

Introduction

In software projects, you may want to transfer specific changes from one branch to another without merging the entire history of changes. The git cherry-pick command allows you to select one or more specific commits from one branch and apply them to another. This is especially useful when you only need a particular feature or fix and do not want to include all other changes.

How to Use git cherry-pick

1. Identify the Commit

First, you need to find the hash (SHA) of the commit you want to select. You can use the git log command to view the commit history:

git log

2.Switch to the Target Branch:

git checkout main

3.Select the Commit:

git cherry-pick abc1234

Result

After executing these commands, the changes from commit abc1234 will be added to the main branch. If you encounter any conflicts during the cherry-pick, Git will notify you, and you will need to resolve the conflicts before committing the changes.

Important Notes

Multiple Commits: You can select multiple commits at once. To do this, separate the commit hashes with spaces:

git cherry-pick <commit1> <commit2> <commit3>

Clean History: Using cherry-pick helps you keep your project history clean by only including the necessary changes.

Conclusion

The git cherry-pick command is a powerful tool for managing changes in Git projects. By using this command, you can easily transfer specific changes from one branch to another and optimize your project history.