How to combine git commits - rebase and squash

This post explains how to combine git commits by using git rebase and git squash.

Let's assume that we have a couple of commits as follows. --oneline gives the short version of git log output.

$ git log --oneline  
c123456 Edit file-B again  
b234567 Edit file-B  
a012345 Edit file-A

Quick tips: vim commands

• :wq - to save and exit
• i - to enter Insert mode
• Esc - to enter Command mode from Insert mode

Google more on vim commands.

Let's assume we want to squash the edits to file-B together as one commit. By using git rebase, the history will be rewritten.

$ git rebase -i a012345  

The above command will open the editor with commit info up to the specified commit. Enter the Insert mode and edit the log as follows:

pick b234567 Edit file-B  
squash c123456 Edit file-B again 

Save and exit the editor and that's it! Check the commit logs again to ensure the results.

If you have already pushed your changes to a remote, you might need to force push your changes.

git push --force

That's it! Let me know if you encounter any problems or have any comments. Cheers!