# Merge conflicts

When working with branches, you will inevitably run into merge conflicts. This page explains what they are, how to prevent them, and how to resolve them when they happen.

# Why do merge conflicts happen?

A merge conflict occurs when two branches modify the same lines in the same file. Git doesn't know which version to keep, so it asks you to decide.

Common scenario:

You create a feature branch from main and change line 10 of index.html
Meanwhile, a teammate also changes line 10 of index.html on a different branch
Your teammate's branch gets merged into main first
When you try to merge your branch → conflict!

# How to prevent conflicts

Keep your feature branch up-to-date with main (see Feature Branching > Step 4)
Communicate with your team about who is working on which files
Make small, focused branches — the less code you change, the less chance of conflicts
Don't work on the same files as your teammates when possible

# Recognizing conflicts

Conflicts are indicated by conflict markers in the affected files:

Git conflict

The code between <<<<<<< and ======= is your version (from your feature branch)
The code between ======= and >>>>>>> is the other version (from the branch you're merging into, usually main)

# Resolving conflicts

To resolve a conflict:

Open the file containing the conflict
Decide which version to keep (yours, theirs, or a combination of both)
Remove the conflict markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>)
Save the file

Git conflict

RESOLVING CONFLICTS IN YOUR IDE

Both PhpStorm and VS Code have built-in merge conflict tools that make resolving conflicts much easier:

VS Code: When you open a file with conflicts, VS Code highlights them and offers clickable buttons:

Accept Current Change (your version)
Accept Incoming Change (their version)
Accept Both Changes
Compare Changes (side-by-side view)

PhpStorm: Go to Git → Resolve Conflicts for a visual 3-way merge tool.

REMARKS

Most (simple) conflicts can be resolved online (on the GitHub site) using the conflict editor.

For more complex conflicts (multiple files, interrelated changes), it's best to resolve them locally using your IDE's merge tool, then commit and push the resolution.