Fast-forward merge

How it is used

Used in Git workflows, branch policies, and pull request settings. It keeps history linear because no separate merge commit is added when branches have not diverged.

Example sentences

1. Because no one had pushed to main after her branch split off, Git completed the update as a fast-forward merge during review.

   Here, the term means Git did not create an extra merge commit; it only advanced the branch reference to include existing commits.

2. Our repository disables fast-forward merge on release branches so every integration point remains visible when the team reviews the history.

   In this example, the term refers to a merge style some teams block when they want explicit merge events recorded in project history.

Common collocations

• fast-forward merge
• fast-forward only
• disable fast-forward
• merge commit

Related terms

• mergeTo combine the changes from one branch into another, so that both sets of work end up in the same code.
• branchA separate line of development in a repository, where you can work on changes without affecting the main code until you are ready to merge.

More terms: Version Control

• pull request
• commit
• repository
• push
• merge conflict
• check out
• clone
• rebase
• version control
• Git
• pull
• diff