What is a Patch in Git Version Control?

While working on a team project in Git, developers need to collaborate with other team members. For this purpose, they may use Git patches to share source code files with others. The other team members apply patches to their projects to use them. More specifically, this permits users to share changes with other team members, resolve conflicts and collaborate on the same project.

This study will explain:

• What is a Patch in Git Version Control?
• How to Create/Make a Patch Using the “git format-patch” Command?
• How to Create/Make a Patch Using the “git diff” Command?

What is a Patch in Git Version Control?

In Git version control, a patch is simply a text file that keeps the description of the modifications made to the code. It contains all the changes and differences that were made to the project in the past. Moreover, it records all the information about the lines of code that were added, deleted, or modified.

How to Create/Make a Patch Using the “git format-patch” Command?

To make a patch in Git, first, navigate to the desired local directory. Then, check the commit history and select the particular commit id. After that, execute the “git format-patch -1 <commit-id>” command to create a patch from the selected commit id. Lastly, verify the created patch.

Step 1: Navigate to Local Repository

First, redirect to the particular local directory using the below-stated command:

Step 2: View Commit History

Then, check the Git log to view the commit history:

In the below output, the commit history can be seen with the commit id. Choose the desired commit hash. For instance, we have selected the “03668b5” commit id:

Step 3: Create/Make Patch

Now, utilize the following command along with the selected commit id to create a patch from it:

Step 4: Verify Created patch

To ensure that the new patch has been created, run the below-provided command:

It can be observed that the new “0001-New-feature-file-added.patch” patch is created:

How to Create/Make a Patch Using the “git diff” Command?

The “git diff <commit-id> > <file-name>” command can also be used to create a patch in Git. To do so, check out the given-provided steps.

Step 1: View Git Log

First, view the commit history by checking the Git log:

The below output displayed the commit history including the commit id. Copy the particular commit id for creating a patch. For instance, we have selected the “1839bf4” commit hash:

Step 2: Create or Make Patch

Then, create a patch with the help of the “git diff” command and specify the commit id and patch file name:

Here, the “1839bf4” is the commit id, and “mypatch.diff” is the patch file name:

Step 3: Verify Created Patch

Lastly, verify the newly created patch using the “ls” command:

It can be observed that the “mypatch.diff” patch file has been created successfully:

We have explained about the patch in Git and the methods of creating a patch in Git.

Conclusion

In Git version control, a patch is a text file that holds the description of the changes or modifications and differences made to the project code in the history. It records all the information about the lines of code that were added, deleted, or modified. To create a patch in git, the “git format-patch -1 <commit-id>” or the “git diff <commit-id> > <file-name>” command can be utilized. This study explained about the patch in Git version control and the methods of creating it.