In Azure DevOps, when you compare two branches (for example, TEST
and MASTER
), the UI shows a comparison counter that indicates how many commits one branch is ahead or behind the other.
Sometimes, especially with workflows like squash merges, this counter gets confusing:
- You have a branch
TEST
with detailed commits. - You squash those commits and merge to
MASTER
. - Even though the file contents are identical, Azure DevOps shows
TEST
as ahead ofMASTER
by some commits. - Merging
MASTER
back toTEST
just adds one more commit, so the count never resets to zero.
You might wonder:
Is there a way to reset this ahead/behind counter to zero, showing that the branches are identical?
Why Does This Happen?
The key is:
Azure DevOps (and Git in general) calculates ahead/behind counts based on commit history, not file content.
- Squash merges create a single new commit on
MASTER
with a different commit hash than the original commits onTEST
. - Therefore, even if the code is the same, Git sees the branches as having different commit histories.
- This causes
TEST
to be “ahead” ofMASTER
(becauseTEST
still has the detailed commits thatMASTER
doesn’t). - Merging
MASTER
back adds a merge commit, soTEST
becomes ahead by 1 commit instead of zero.
How to Reset the Comparison Counter to Zero
1. Make the branch histories identical
To have the ahead/behind counter show zero, you need to make the two branches share the exact same commit history.
How?
- Instead of squash-merging, use a regular merge that preserves all commits.
- Or, after squash-merging to
MASTER
, reset theTEST
branch toMASTER
to align histories:
git checkout TEST
git reset --hard MASTER
Warning: This will discard the detailed commit history on
TEST
and make it identical toMASTER
.
2. Force push the reset branch (if remote)
git push --force origin TEST
Now, TEST
and MASTER
have the same commit history, and the comparison counter should be zero.
Important Notes
- If keeping the detailed commit history on
TEST
is important, you cannot reset the counter to zero without losing that history. - This is because the counter is based on commit ancestry, not code state.
- The “ahead/behind” indicator is only informational; it doesn’t affect your code or build.
Alternative Strategies
- Accept that
TEST
will always be ahead after squash merges. - Use pull requests and branch policies to ensure clean merges.
- Use feature branches for detailed work, squash-merge those to
MASTER
, and reset or recreateTEST
fromMASTER
when needed. - Use tags or commit messages to mark task completion rather than relying on the comparison counter.
Summary Table
Scenario | Result on Ahead/Behind Counter | How to Reset |
---|---|---|
Squash merge TEST → MASTER |
TEST ahead by detailed commits |
Reset TEST to MASTER (git reset --hard ) |
Regular merge preserving commits | Branches share history | Counter zero by default |
Keep detailed commits but want zero count | Not possible | N/A |
Final Thoughts
The comparison counter in Azure DevOps is a reflection of commit history divergence, not code divergence.
To reset it, you must align the commit histories exactly, which typically means losing the detailed history on the branch you want to reset.
If the history matters, it’s best to accept the counter’s behavior as normal.
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