How to Quickly Resolve Git Merge Conflicts and Avoid Pipeline Failures (Real-time issue I faced)

This morning, while merging branches, I encountered three merge conflicts. I resolved them using VS Code’s merge editor and pushed the changes to the main branch. However, the pipeline failed during smoke tests. Upon review, I found an unresolved conflict in one of the files. After comparing the versions, I overwrote the target file, and everything was fine.

But what went wrong? And how can you avoid it?

## Understanding Merge Conflicts

Merge conflicts occur when Git can't automatically reconcile differences between two branches. This usually happens when:

1. Two branches modify the same line(s) of a file

2. One branch deletes a file while another modifies it

3. Both branches add files with the same name but different content

What Might Have Happened:

1. Missed Conflict: It’s easy to overlook a conflict, especially when resolving multiple files.
2. Unresolved Markers: Git conflict markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>) might be left behind, breaking the build.
3. Incomplete Merge: Partially merged code can slip through, especially when rushing.

Steps to Resolve Merge Conflicts Efficiently:

1. Identify Conflicts: Run git status to identify files with conflicts.
2. Resolve Conflicts: Open the conflicting file and look for the conflict markers. Edit the file to resolve the conflicts, and remove the markers.
3. Use Visual Merge Tools: It’s easy to resolve conflicts visually if you're using VS Code. I am using VS Code Alternatively, use git mergetool to launch an external merge tool:

git mergetool        

4. Mark Files as Resolved: Once conflicts are resolved, mark the file as resolved using:

git add <filename>        

5. Complete the Merge: After resolving all conflicts, complete the merge:

git commit        

6. Test Locally: Before pushing, always test your code locally to catch any issues.

7. Push Changes: Finally, push your changes to the remote repository:

git push origin <branch>        

What's your experience with handling merge conflicts? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below!

#GitMerge #DeveloperTips #CodeCollaboration