Rebase
Rebase is a Git operation that integrates changes from one branch into another by rewriting the commit history, moving or combining a sequence of commits to a new base commit. It is commonly used to maintain a linear project history by applying commits from a feature branch onto the tip of the main branch, avoiding merge commits. This helps in creating a cleaner, more readable commit timeline, especially in collaborative development workflows.
Developers should use rebase when they want to incorporate updates from a main branch (like main or master) into their feature branch without creating a merge commit, which keeps the history linear and easier to follow. It is particularly useful in pull request workflows to ensure that the feature branch is up-to-date before merging, reducing conflicts and simplifying code reviews. However, it should be avoided on shared branches where others might have based work on the old commits, as it rewrites history and can cause issues.