Cherry Picking
Cherry picking is a version control technique in software development where specific commits from one branch are selectively applied to another branch, rather than merging entire branches. It allows developers to incorporate individual changes or fixes without bringing in all the commits from the source branch. This is commonly used in Git workflows to apply bug fixes or features from development branches to stable release branches.
Developers should use cherry picking when they need to apply a specific commit (e.g., a critical bug fix or a small feature) to another branch without merging all the changes from the source branch. It is particularly useful in maintenance scenarios, such as backporting fixes from a development branch to a production branch, or when working with feature branches where only certain commits are ready for integration. This helps maintain branch stability and avoids introducing unwanted changes.