Git Workflow Best Practices

Git is an essential tool for any developer. Following best practices can help you maintain a clean, organized codebase and collaborate effectively with your team.

Commit Message Guidelines

Write clear, descriptive commit messages:

feat: add user authentication system
fix: resolve login button styling issue
docs: update API documentation
refactor: simplify user validation logic

Branching Strategy

Use a consistent branching strategy:

• main/master: Production-ready code
• develop: Integration branch for features
• feature/: Individual feature branches
• hotfix/: Quick fixes for production issues

Common Git Commands

Here are some essential Git commands:

# Create and switch to a new branch
git checkout -b feature/new-feature

# Stage and commit changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"

# Push branch to remote
git push origin feature/new-feature

# Merge changes
git checkout main
git merge feature/new-feature

Pull Request Best Practices

• Keep pull requests small and focused
• Write descriptive PR titles and descriptions
• Request reviews from team members
• Ensure all tests pass before merging

Useful Git Aliases

Set up aliases to speed up your workflow:

git config --global alias.co checkout
git config --global alias.br branch
git config --global alias.ci commit
git config --global alias.st status

Good Git practices lead to better collaboration and code quality!