When to Use Git Squash Merge?

Let’s say you have two branches: main and feature-1. You’re actively working on the feature-1 branch, making progress and regularly committing your changes. Once your feature is complete, it's time to merge the feature-1 branch back into main.

By default, a merge will bring over all the individual commits from feature-1 into main. While this is great for preserving a detailed history, it can clutter the main branch with too many granular commits, making it harder to track the overall changes.

What is a Squash Merge?

This is where a squash merge comes in handy. A squash merge allows you to condense all the commits from feature-1 into a single commit when merging into main. This approach provides a cleaner commit history in the main branch, making it easier to review and understand the changes over time.

Benefits of Using Squash Merge

It’s important to note that while the feature-1 branch retains its detailed commit history, the main branch will only have a single commit representing all the changes made in feature-1. This is particularly useful for keeping the main branch's history clean and easy to navigate.

When to Use Squash Merges

You don't always have to use a squash merge, but it’s a good practice if you prefer a more streamlined commit history in your main branch or if your repository is public and you want to maintain a clean, professional history of changes.