How do you resolve branch merge conflicts before a release?

Merge conflicts are a normal part of team development, especially before a release, when dozens of changes converge in the code. The main thing is not to panic and to act systematically, prioritizing transparency and stability.

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#1. I minimize the chance of conflicts in advance

• I sync with develop often - I don't wait weeks to "merge everything at once".
• Small, short-lived branches: the fewer the changes, the easier they are to integrate.
• Shared formatting standards (Prettier, ESLint, Black) - to avoid conflicts caused by whitespace and style.

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#2. When I find a conflict, I analyze the context

• I run git merge or git rebase and look at which files conflict and why.
• I determine whether it is the same logic, deleted code, or different parts of a function.
• I compare it with the commit history (git log -p, git blame) to understand who made the change and why.

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#3. I resolve it manually using an IDE or the command line

• I use visual tools (VS Code, IntelliJ, Meld) - they show the differences line by line.
• I keep both versions if I am unsure, and discuss it with the author.
• After resolving it, I always run the build and tests to make sure nothing is broken.

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#4. I check the consequences

• I run unit and integration tests locally.
• If the changes touch shared modules, I create a temporary CI build to check the whole system.

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#5. I communicate with the team

• I post in chat or the PR: "There were conflicts in auth-service.js, I rechecked, tests are green".
• If the logic is debatable, we discuss it with the author before merging.
• For large-scale conflicts, we hold a short "merge session" with the whole team.

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#Conclusion

Resolving conflicts is not just a technical operation, it is risk management before a release. The key is frequent syncing, transparent communication, and mandatory verification after the merge. That way, even complex conflicts are resolved calmly and without losses for the product.