Introduction
When working with Git, especially with private repositories, you may run into challenges while setting up your local project for version control. One common issue arises when your local project and the remote repository have entirely different commit histories, causing Git to block a merge request.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of connecting a local project to a private Git repository, pushing changes to a new branch, and resolving the “There isn’t anything to compare. main and [your branch] are entirely different commit histories” error when opening a pull request.
Step 1: Initialize Git and Connect to the Remote Repository
If your project is not already a Git repository, initialize it by running:
cd /path/to/your/project git init
Next, add the remote repository:
- Using SSH (Recommended): git remote add origin git@github.com:your-username/repo-name.git
- Using HTTPS: git remote add origin https://github.com/your-username/repo-name.git
Verify the remote was added successfully:
git remote -v
Step 2: Create a New Branch and Push Your Code
Before making changes, create a new branch named after yourself (e.g., salmansaeed) to keep your work separate from the main branch:
git checkout -b 'branch name'
Stage and commit your files:
git add . git commit -m "Initial commit on my branch"
Push your branch to the remote repository:
git push -u origin salmanxaeed
Step 3: Fixing the “Different Commit Histories” Issue
After pushing your branch, you may face an issue when trying to open a pull request:
“There isn’t anything to compare. main and salmanxaeed are entirely different commit histories.”
This happens because the local project and the remote repository have completely separate histories. To fix this, we need to align them.
Step 3.1: Fetch and Checkout the Main Branch
First, retrieve the latest changes from main:
git fetch origin main
Check out the main branch:
git checkout main
If main does not exist locally, create it from the remote:
git branch main origin/main git checkout main
Step 3.2: Rebase Your Branch on Main
Switch back to your branch:
git checkout 'branch name'
Now, rebase your branch onto main:
git rebase main
If there are conflicts, Git will pause the rebase and ask you to resolve them manually. After resolving, use:
git add . git rebase --continue
Problem: Stuck in Vim after git rebase –continue?
Git opens Vim by default for commit messages. To exit:
- If you’re happy with the commit message, press
Esc, type :wq, and hitEnter. - To cancel the rebase, press
Esc, type :q!, and hitEnter.
If things go wrong, abort the rebase:
git rebase --abort
Step 3.3: Push the Updated Branch
Once the rebase is successful, force-push your branch to update the history on GitHub:
git push --force origin salmanxaeed
⚠️ Warning: Using –force rewrites history. Make sure no one else is working on this branch before pushing.
Step 4: Create the Pull Request
Now, go to your GitHub repository and open a pull request from salmanxaeed to main. This time, Git should correctly recognize the changes, allowing you to merge them.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can successfully:
- Connect a local project to a private Git repository
- Create and push a new branch
- Fix the “entirely different commit histories” issue
- Rebase your branch and update it correctly for merging
This approach ensures that your branch stays in sync with the main repository while maintaining a clean Git history.
If you have any questions or run into issues, feel free to drop a comment below! 🚀