How to Fix Conflicts in Git: A Step-by-Step Guide

Conflict resolution is a critical part of using Git, especially when working in collaborative environments. Git conflicts arise when multiple contributors make changes to the same file in a way that Git can’t automatically resolve.

In this post, we’ll explore why conflicts happen, how to handle them, and best practices for managing conflicts effectively.

What Causes Conflicts in Git?

Conflicts occur when Git cannot merge two sets of changes because they overlap in incompatible ways. This situation typically arises when:

• Two or more contributors edit the same lines in a file and try to merge their changes.
• A file is modified in one branch and deleted in another.
• Changes occur on different branches, but Git cannot determine the order of changes due to overlapping edits.

Conflicts are a natural part of collaboration and, with practice, can be resolved effectively.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Resolving Git Conflicts

Let’s go through the process of identifying, resolving, and committing changes after a conflict.

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Step 1: Identify Conflicted Files

When Git detects a conflict, it will stop the merge process and notify you of the conflict. You can see a list of conflicting files by running:

git status

Git will list files under the “Unmerged paths” section, indicating they have conflicts.

Step 2: Understand Conflict Markers

Git marks conflicts in the affected files using special conflict markers, showing both versions of the conflicting code. These markers look like this:

<<<<<<< HEAD
Your changes
=======
Incoming changes from the branch being merged
>>>>>>> branch-name

• The <<<<<<< HEAD section represents your current branch.
• The ======= line separates the two conflicting sections.
• The >>>>>>> branch-name section represents the changes from the branch you are merging.

By examining the markers, you can decide how to resolve the conflict.

Step 3: Manually Resolve Conflicts

You have a few options when resolving conflicts:

1. Keep Your Changes: Remove the conflict markers and keep only the changes in the HEAD section.
2. Accept Incoming Changes: Remove the conflict markers and keep only the incoming changes from the branch being merged.
3. Combine Changes: Edit the file to combine both changes in a way that preserves both sets of edits.

After you edit the file to resolve the conflict, be sure to remove all conflict markers (<<<<<<<, =======, and >>>>>>>).

Step 4: Mark Conflicts as Resolved

Once you have edited the files to resolve conflicts, you need to add them to the staging area to indicate they’re ready for a new commit.

git add conflicted-file.txt

Repeat this step for each file with conflicts. After staging, Git considers these conflicts resolved.

Step 5: Commit the Resolved Changes

Finally, commit your changes to complete the merge.

git commit -m "Resolved merge conflicts"

If you were performing a merge, this commit will complete the process. Now, the repository is updated with the resolved version of the changes.

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Tools for Resolving Conflicts

While conflicts can be resolved directly in the command line or using a text editor, there are also tools that simplify the process:

• VS Code: Visual Studio Code detects Git conflicts automatically and highlights conflicting sections, allowing you to choose between “Accept Current” or “Accept Incoming” changes.
• GitHub Desktop: This tool provides a visual interface for resolving conflicts and is particularly beginner-friendly.
• Meld, KDiff3, Beyond Compare: External merge tools offer graphical interfaces for comparing and merging changes.

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Best Practices for Avoiding and Managing Conflicts

1. Commit Frequently: Small, frequent commits with isolated changes make it easier to resolve conflicts when they do occur.
2. Pull Regularly: Sync your branch with the remote repository regularly to incorporate changes from other contributors.
3. Communicate with Your Team: When multiple contributors are working on the same file, coordination can help prevent overlapping changes.
4. Use Feature Branches: Feature branches keep changes isolated, making it easier to review and merge without conflicts.
5. Resolve Conflicts Early: Address conflicts as soon as they arise to avoid a backlog of issues during later stages of development.

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Conclusion

Conflict resolution is an essential skill for anyone working with Git, especially in collaborative environments. By understanding why conflicts happen and learning to handle them confidently, you can maintain a smooth and organized workflow, even in complex projects. With practice and the right tools, you can minimize the impact of conflicts and keep your team’s codebase healthy and up to date.