When to Use the "git cherry-pick" Command?

Git cherry-picking is useful when you need to selectively apply specific commits from one branch to another. This can be a valuable tool in several scenarios, such as the following:

1. Misplaced Commits;
2. Concurrent Feature Development;
3. Patching Critical Bug on Production;
4. Extracting Commits from Closed Pull Requests.

It's crucial to keep in mind that, in most cases, traditional merges remain the recommended approach to maintain a clean version history. This is because cherry-picking can introduce duplicate commits, potentially complicating the version history.

Misplaced Commits

• Scenario: Accidentally committing changes to the wrong branch.
• Use of git cherry-pick: Helps extract the specific commit and apply it to the correct branch, ensuring a clean version history.

Concurrent Feature Development

• Scenario: Simultaneous development of features on different branches by multiple contributors.
• Use of git cherry-pick: Helps incorporate a feature from another branch, facilitating parallel development efforts.

Patching Critical Bug on Production

• Scenario: Addressing a critical bug in the production environment while feature development continues.
• Use of git cherry-pick: Assists in isolating and applying the bug-fix commit to the production branch, ensuring prompt issue resolution without delaying ongoing feature work.

Extracting Commits from Closed Pull Requests

• Scenario: Stale pull requests that were closed without merging, but contain valuable changes.
• Use of git cherry-pick: Enables retrieval of specific commits from the closed or stale pull request, incorporating them into the current branch to leverage valuable contributions.