Can you use git revert to resolve merge conflicts?

Can you use git revert to resolve merge conflicts?

• A. Depends on version
• B. No
• C. Only with the -m flag
• D. Yes

Answer: (B)

When a merge brings in changes from two branches, conflicts appear in the working copy because Git can’t decide which changes to keep. Resolving those conflicts means editing the affected files to choose the correct combination of changes, then staging and committing the merged result. Git revert, on the other hand, creates a new commit that undoes the changes introduced by a previous commit. It’s about history: you’re applying the inverse of a commit’s changes to undo its effects. It is not a tool for fixing conflicts during a merge. If you revert a merge commit after it’s been created, you’re effectively undoing the entire merge, not resolving the conflicts in place. Reverting a merge requires special handling (the -m flag) to indicate which parent to keep, and even that doesn’t resolve the original conflict—it cancels the merge. So you don’t use revert to resolve merge conflicts as they happen. Abort the merge or resolve the conflicts and complete the merge; or revert the merge later if you want to undo it entirely. That’s why the correct stance is No.

When a merge brings in changes from two branches, conflicts appear in the working copy because Git can’t decide which changes to keep. Resolving those conflicts means editing the affected files to choose the correct combination of changes, then staging and committing the merged result.

Git revert, on the other hand, creates a new commit that undoes the changes introduced by a previous commit. It’s about history: you’re applying the inverse of a commit’s changes to undo its effects. It is not a tool for fixing conflicts during a merge. If you revert a merge commit after it’s been created, you’re effectively undoing the entire merge, not resolving the conflicts in place. Reverting a merge requires special handling (the -m flag) to indicate which parent to keep, and even that doesn’t resolve the original conflict—it cancels the merge.

So you don’t use revert to resolve merge conflicts as they happen. Abort the merge or resolve the conflicts and complete the merge; or revert the merge later if you want to undo it entirely. That’s why the correct stance is No.