Git: How to rebase to a specific commit?

Question

I'd like to rebase to a specific commit, not to a HEAD of the other branch:

A --- B --- C          master
 \
  \-- D                topic

to

A --- B --- C          master
       \
        \-- D          topic

instead of

A --- B --- C          master
             \
              \-- D    topic

How can I achieve that?

Answer 1

Use the "onto" option:

git rebase --onto master^ D^ D

Answer 2

Since rebasing is so fundamental, here's an expansion of Nestor Milyaev's answer. Combining jsz's and Simon South's comments from Adam Dymitruk's answer yields this command which works on the topic branch regardless of whether it branches from the master branch's commit A or C:

git checkout topic
git rebase --onto <commit-B> <pre-rebase-A-or-post-rebase-C-or-base-branch-name>

Note that the last argument is required (otherwise it rewinds your branch to commit B).

Examples:

# if topic branches from master commit A:
git checkout topic
git rebase --onto <commit-B> <commit-A>

# if topic branches from master commit C:
git checkout topic
git rebase --onto <commit-B> <commit-C>

# regardless of whether topic branches from master commit A or C:
git checkout topic
git rebase --onto <commit-B> master

So the last command is the one that I typically use.