Git by Example: Cherry-Pick Commits
Learn how to apply specific commits from one branch to another without merging the entire branch. This is useful for hotfixes and backporting changes.
Code
# 1. Identify the commit hash you want to copy
git log --oneline feature-branch
# Output:
# 4d5e6f Fix critical bug in payment
# 1a2b3c Add new button style
# 2. Cherry-pick the specific commit to your current branch
git cherry-pick 4d5e6f
# Output:
# [main 7g8h9i] Fix critical bug in payment
# Date: Mon Oct 2 14:00:00 2023 -0700
# 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)
# 3. Cherry-pick multiple commits
git cherry-pick 4d5e6f 1a2b3cExplanation
The git cherry-pick command allows you to select an arbitrary commit from one branch and apply it to another. Unlike git merge, which brings in the entire history of a branch up to a certain point, cherry-picking grabs only the changes introduced by a single commit and replays them on your current branch.
This is incredibly useful for "hotfixes". Imagine you fixed a critical bug on your development branch, but you need that fix immediately on your production branch without releasing all the other unfinished features you're working on. You can simply cherry-pick the bug-fix commit onto the production branch.
Note that cherry-picking creates a new commit with a new hash, even though the changes are the same. This can sometimes lead to duplicate commits if you later merge the branches, so use it judiciously.
- Applies a specific commit to current branch
- Does not merge the whole branch
- Creates a new commit with a new hash
- Ideal for hotfixes and backporting