Git Merge Hotfix Branch Into Feature Branch

Better Stack Team
Updated on August 12, 2024

Merging a hotfix branch into a feature branch is a common scenario when you need to incorporate urgent fixes into ongoing development work. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to achieve this:

Steps to Merge Hotfix Branch into Feature Branch

1. Ensure Both Branches are Up-to-Date

Before merging, make sure that both your hotfix and feature branches are up-to-date with the remote repository.

  1. Fetch Latest Changes:

     
    git fetch origin

  2. Checkout and Update Hotfix Branch:

     
    git checkout hotfix-branch
git pull origin hotfix-branch

  3. Checkout and Update Feature Branch:

     
    git checkout feature-branch
git pull origin feature-branch

2. Merge Hotfix Branch into Feature Branch

  1. Checkout the Feature Branch:

    Make sure you are on the feature branch where you want to merge the hotfix:

     
    git checkout feature-branch

  2. Merge the Hotfix Branch:

    Use the merge command to incorporate changes from the hotfix branch into your feature branch:

     
    git merge hotfix-branch

    This command will attempt to merge the hotfix branch into the current branch (which should be your feature branch).

3. Resolve Conflicts (if any)

If there are conflicts between the hotfix branch and the feature branch, Git will notify you. To resolve conflicts:

  • Identify Conflicted Files:

    Git will mark conflicted files. You can check these files using:

     
    git status

  • Edit and Resolve Conflicts:

    Open the conflicted files in your text editor, resolve the conflicts, and save the changes.

  • Stage the Resolved Files:

    After resolving conflicts, stage the resolved files:

     
    git add <resolved-file>

  • Complete the Merge:

    Commit the merge:

     
    git commit

    If conflicts were resolved, Git will complete the merge commit for you. If you use git merge and there are no conflicts, Git automatically creates the merge commit.

4. Push Changes to Remote (if necessary)

After merging, push the updated feature branch to the remote repository:

 
git push origin feature-branch

Example Workflow

Here’s a complete example workflow to merge a hotfix branch into a feature branch:

  1. Fetch Latest Changes:

     
    git fetch origin

  2. Update and Checkout the Hotfix Branch:

     
    git checkout hotfix-branch
git pull origin hotfix-branch

  3. Update and Checkout the Feature Branch:

     
    git checkout feature-branch
git pull origin feature-branch

  4. Merge Hotfix into Feature Branch:

     
    git merge hotfix-branch

  5. Resolve Conflicts (if any):

     
    git status
# Edit conflicted files
git add <resolved-file>
git commit

  6. Push Changes to Remote:

     
    git push origin feature-branch

Summary

To merge a hotfix branch into a feature branch:

  1. Ensure both branches are up-to-date: Fetch and pull the latest changes.
  2. Merge the hotfix branch into the feature branch: Use git merge hotfix-branch while on the feature branch.
  3. Resolve conflicts (if any): Edit, stage, and commit resolved files.
  4. Push the updated feature branch to the remote: Use git push origin feature-branch.

This process integrates urgent fixes into your ongoing feature work, ensuring that critical issues are addressed while development continues.

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