# GitHub Merge Strategies: A Visual Explanation

DevFeed: [GitHub Merge Strategies: A Visual Explanation](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/github-merge-strategies-a-visual-explanation-27341.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.mmckenna.me/github-merge-strategies-a-visual-explanation>)

Author: Matt McKenna

Published: 2025-03-01T12:00:36Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Matt McKenna](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/matt-mckenna.md>)

Topics: [GitHub](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/github.md>), [Pull Request](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/pull-request.md>), [Git](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/git.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>)

Tags: [commit](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/commit.md>), [comparison](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/comparison.md>), [git](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/git.md>), [github](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/github.md>), [pull-request](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pull-request.md>)

## AI overview

This article visually explains three GitHub pull request merge strategies: merge commits preserve the full branch history and add a merge commit, squash merges combine the branch into one commit, and rebase merges retain individual commits while creating a linear history and new commit hashes.

## Source excerpt

Discussion started up at work this week about the different merge strategies available in GitHub. I looked around online to see if I could find a good article to send to share a quick snapshot of the differences represented visually and didn't find a...