Chapter 6. Understanding merging in version control
This chapter covers
Merging is the process of integrating changes between different branches. Merging is used to propagate changes from one branch to another. While you could propagate changes by manually editing files in a target branch—and sometimes that is the only way to achieve the desired outcome—it helps to have a tool that can detect changes and automate the routine aspects, especially when there are a large number of files involved. As a best practice, keep in mind that it’s better to merge early and often so that changes that need to be merged are as small as possible. Effective merging practices are essential for sustaining parallel development.