NAME
----
-git-rebase - Rebase local commits to a new head
+git-rebase - Forward-port local commits to the updated upstream head
SYNOPSIS
--------
D---E---F---G master
------------
-While, starting from the same point, the result of either of the following
-commands:
+The latter form is just a short-hand of `git checkout topic`
+followed by `git rebase master`.
- git-rebase --onto master~1 master
- git-rebase --onto master~1 master topic
+Here is how you would transplant a topic branch based on one
+branch to another, to pretend that you forked the topic branch
+from the latter branch, using `rebase --onto`.
-would be:
+First let's assume your 'topic' is based on branch 'next'.
+For example feature developed in 'topic' depends on some
+functionality which is found in 'next'.
------------
- A'--B'--C' topic
- /
- D---E---F---G master
+ o---o---o---o---o master
+ \
+ o---o---o---o---o next
+ \
+ o---o---o topic
+------------
+
+We would want to make 'topic' forked from branch 'master',
+for example because the functionality 'topic' branch depend on
+got merged into more stable 'master' branch, like this:
+
+------------
+ o---o---o---o---o master
+ | \
+ | o'--o'--o' topic
+ \
+ o---o---o---o---o next
+------------
+
+We can get this using the following command:
+
+ git-rebase --onto master next topic
+
+
+Another example of --onto option is to rebase part of a
+branch. If we have the following situation:
+
+------------
+ H---I---J topicB
+ /
+ E---F---G topicA
+ /
+ A---B---C---D master
+------------
+
+then the command
+
+ git-rebase --onto master topicA topicB
+
+would result in:
+
+------------
+ H'--I'--J' topicB
+ /
+ | E---F---G topicA
+ |/
+ A---B---C---D master
+------------
+
+This is useful when topicB does not depend on topicA.
+
+A range of commits could also be removed with rebase. If we have
+the following situation:
+
------------
+ E---F---G---H---I---J topicA
+------------
+
+then the command
+
+ git-rebase --onto topicA~5 topicA~2 topicA
+
+would result in the removal of commits F and G:
+
+------------
+ E---H'---I'---J' topicA
+------------
+
+This is useful if F and G were flawed in some way, or should not be
+part of topicA. Note that the argument to --onto and the <upstream>
+parameter can be any valid commit-ish.
In case of conflict, git-rebase will stop at the first problematic commit
and leave conflict markers in the tree. You can use git diff to locate
<newbase>::
Starting point at which to create the new commits. If the
--onto option is not specified, the starting point is
- <upstream>.
+ <upstream>. May be any valid commit, and not just an
+ existing branch name.
<upstream>::
- Upstream branch to compare against.
+ Upstream branch to compare against. May be any valid commit,
+ not just an existing branch name.
<branch>::
Working branch; defaults to HEAD.