Git

Published: 5.1.2026 (AT time)

Last Edit: 26.1.2026 (AT time)

Head branch

Branch with changes, the source branch when merging into the target (base branch).

Base branch

Head branch is based on it, the target to merge into. Usually main.

Rebase

Move all head branch commits after the latest base branch commits.

Stash

Save changes locally in the stash, temporarily, and return to original version.

Squash Merge

When merging combine multiple commits into one new commit.

Merge commit

Add a commit after merge that keeps track of the history of both head and base branch. Git interally remebers the paths as a graph.

Ref

Name or pointer to a certain commit.

Tag

Mark an important commit, often a release.

Pointer to the commit currently on.

Piper

Google’s versioning control. There is only one code base for almost all Google products and developers usually don’t use branches but directly commit after a code review.

Cherry Pick

Take one specific commit of another branch and apply it to your current branch.