Git Merge Branch Without Merge Commit - Shell/Bash

Sometimes when working with Git, we want to merge a branch into another branch but without creating a merge commit. This can be useful when we want to keep the commit history linear and avoid cluttering the history with unnecessary merge commits.

To achieve this, we can use the git merge command with the --no-ff flag. Here's how to do it:

git checkout destination_branch
git merge --no-ff source_branch

In this example, we assume we want to merge the source_branch into the destination_branch.

The --no-ff flag stands for "no fast-forward" and tells Git to create a new merge commit even if it's not strictly necessary. This way, we can keep track of where the merge happened and when it happened, without polluting the history with useless merge commits.

By default, Git uses the fast-forward merge strategy, which means that it simply moves the current branch pointer to the commit of the other branch when the two branches have diverged. This results in a linear commit history, but it doesn't show where the merge happened.

With the --no-ff flag, Git creates a new merge commit, which shows where the merge happened and what was merged.

In conclusion, if you want to merge a branch into another branch without creating a merge commit, use the git merge --no-ff command. This will keep your commit history clean and easy to follow.

Happy merging!