Skip to main content

Git ours vs. git theirs

· 5 min read
Serhii Hrekov
Serhii Hrekov
software engineer, creator, artist, programmer, projects founder

In Git, the terms ours and theirs are used to refer to the two conflicting versions of a file during a merge or rebase. Understanding which version is which is critical for resolving conflicts correctly [1].

The Meaning of ours and theirs​

The meaning of these terms depends on the specific Git command you are using.

During a Merge​

When you perform a standard merge, the terms are straightforward:

  • ours refers to the version of the file on the current branch—the one you are merging into.
  • theirs refers to the version of the file on the branch you are merging in—the one whose changes you are pulling.

Example: Imagine you are on a main branch and you want to merge changes from a feature-a branch.

git checkout main
git merge feature-a

If a conflict occurs, git checkout --ours <file> will keep the version from main, while git checkout --theirs <file> will keep the version from feature-a [1].

During a Rebase​

With git rebase, the meaning is reversed, which can be a source of confusion. Rebase works by taking commits from your current branch and replaying them on top of the target branch.

  • ours refers to the version of the file on the target branch (the one you are rebasing onto). This is the new, shared history.
  • theirs refers to the version of the file on the current branch (the one with the commits being reapplied). These are the changes being integrated into the new history.

Example: Imagine you are on feature-a and you want to rebase it onto main.

git checkout feature-a
git rebase main

If a conflict occurs, git checkout --ours <file> will keep the version from main, while git checkout --theirs <file> will keep the version from feature-a [2].

Usage and Merge Strategies​

ours and theirs can be used in two main ways:

  1. File-level Conflict Resolution: The most common use is to explicitly choose a version for a specific file during a conflict. After using git checkout --ours or git checkout --theirs, you must git add the file to stage the resolution before continuing the merge or rebase.

  2. Merge Strategies: Git also offers specific merge strategies to handle conflicts automatically.

    • git merge -s ours <branch>: This strategy resolves all conflicts by choosing the version from your current branch (ours), effectively discarding all changes from the merged branch. It is a powerful, destructive command that should be used with caution [3].
    • git merge -s recursive -X theirs <branch>: The -X option, short for --strategy-option, is used with the recursive strategy. It tells Git to automatically choose the "their" version for any conflicting hunks, but it will still merge non-conflicting changes from both branches [3].

Sources​

  1. Atlassian. "Resolving Conflicts During a Merge". https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/using-branches/merge-conflicts
  2. Git. "Git Branching - Rebasing". https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Branching-Rebasing
  3. Git. "Git Merge Strategies". https://git-scm.com/docs/git-merge#_merge_strategies