Best Practices for Git Branch Merging: 5 Practical Tips to Reduce Conflicts

This article shares 5 tips to reduce Git branch merge conflicts: 1. **Clear branch responsibilities**: Assign specific roles to branches, e.g., `main` for stable code, `feature/*` for new features, `bugfix/*` for production issues, etc., to avoid overlapping merge scopes. 2. **Small, incremental commits**: Split tasks into minimal changes. Each commit should modify only a small amount of code, reducing merge differences and making auto-resolution of conflicts easier. 3. **Frequent main branch synchronization**: Pull the latest code from the main branch daily (`git merge` or `rebase`) to keep feature branches aligned with `main` and prevent divergence. 4. **Use `rebase` to organize commits**: "Replay" local commits onto the latest main branch code to maintain a linear commit history and minimize divergent conflicts (only applicable to branches not yet pushed to remote). 5. **Resolve conflicts correctly**: Understand the `<<<<<<<`, `=======`, and `>>>>>>>` markers. Modify code and remove markers; consult colleagues if unsure. **Core principles**: Clear responsibilities, small commits, frequent synchronization, clean history, and proper conflict resolution can significantly reduce merge conflicts.