What is a Conflict in Git?

In Git, a conflict (often referred to as a merge conflict) occurs when multiple people or branches modify the same section of the same file and attempt to merge the changes. Git cannot automatically determine which version is correct, so it halts the merge process and requires users to manually resolve the conflicts.

For example, suppose you and your colleague both start working from the latest commit on the main branch. You modify the title section of the file index.html, while your colleague makes different changes to the same section. When you attempt to merge your changes back to the main branch, if your colleague has already committed and pushed their changes, Git will identify the conflict and display a message similar to the following:

plaintext
Auto-merging index.html
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in index.html
Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.

Resolving this type of conflict typically involves the following steps:

1. Open the conflict file: Locate the conflict regions marked by Git, which typically include <<<<<<<, =======, and >>>>>>> markers, indicating changes from different branches.
2. Decide how to merge the changes: Discuss with relevant colleagues to determine which changes to incorporate, or create a compromise if necessary.
3. Edit the file to resolve the conflict: Remove the Git markers and edit the file to reflect the final merged content.
4. Save the file and commit the changes: After completing the edits, use the git add command to mark the conflict as resolved, then use git commit to finalize the merge commit.

Effectively resolving Git conflicts is essential for maintaining project stability and fostering team collaboration.