How do I ' overwrite ', rather than ' merge ', a branch on another branch in Git?

The process of resetting a branch instead of merging another branch in Git is implemented using the git reset and git checkout commands. This is commonly used when you need to completely discard the history of one branch and adopt the history of another branch. Here are the specific steps:

Step 1: Switch to the target branch you want to reset

First, ensure you are on the branch you intend to reset. For example, if you want to completely reset the master branch using the contents of feature-branch:

bash
git checkout master

Step 2: Use the git reset command to reset the HEAD of the target branch to the latest commit of the source branch

This step resets the HEAD of the current branch to the latest commit of the source branch without altering the files in the working directory.

bash
git reset --hard feature-branch

This command makes the HEAD, index, and working directory of the master branch completely match feature-branch.

Step 3: Push changes to the remote repository

Since this operation rewrites the branch history, you need to push with the --force option:

bash
git push origin master --force

Note: Using a forced push (--force) will rewrite the history of the remote repository and may impact other developers working on that branch. Before proceeding, ensure you have communicated with your team members.

Example

Suppose you are developing a feature and have conducted experimental development on feature-branch. Later, you decide that these experimental changes are highly successful, and you want to completely reset the master branch to these changes. You can follow the steps above.

This strategy is typically used for temporary, experimental branches, or when you need to quickly discard unnecessary history and all project participants agree on this approach.