Fast-forward merge requests
Sometimes, a workflow policy might mandate a clean commit history without merge commits. In such cases, the fast-forward merge is the perfect candidate.
With fast-forward merge requests, you can retain a linear Git history and a way to accept merge requests without creating merge commits.
Overview
When the fast-forward merge
(--ff-only) setting
is enabled, no merge commits are created and all merges are fast-forwarded,
which means that merging is only allowed if the branch can be fast-forwarded.
When a fast-forward merge is not possible, the user is given the option to rebase.
Enabling fast-forward merges
- Navigate to your project’s Settings and search for the ‘Merge method’
- Select the Fast-forward merge option
- Hit Save changes for the changes to take effect
Now, when you visit the merge request page, you can accept it only if a fast-forward merge is possible.
If a fast-forward merge is not possible but a conflict free rebase is possible, a rebase button is offered.
If the target branch is ahead of the source branch and a conflict free rebase is not possible, you need to rebase the source branch locally before you can do a fast-forward merge.
