Git & GitHub Interview Question #142

How do you troubleshoot a non-fast-forward push rejection?

Security, Team Workflows, Troubleshooting & Senior Git/GitHub Scenarios Senior Advanced

Quick Interview Answer

A non-fast-forward rejection usually means the remote branch contains commits that your local branch does not include, or your local history was rewritten. Start by fetching and inspecting the difference rather than immediately force pushing.

Detailed Explanation

Integrate the remote changes using the team's merge or rebase policy, resolve conflicts, test the result, and push again. Force should be reserved for intentional history rewrites where you understand the consequences.

Code Example

git fetch origin
git status

git log --oneline --graph --decorate     --all

# Then integrate according to team policy:
git rebase origin/main
# or
git merge origin/main

git push