Introduction
Git is essential for modern software development, but using it effectively as a team requires a solid workflow. This guide covers professional Git practices that will improve your team's productivity.
Popular Git Workflows
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1. GitHub Flow
Simple and effective for most projects:
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1main ────●────●────●────●────●────● 2 │ ↑ │ ↑ 3feature ├─●─●─●───┘ ├─●─●─┘
Rules:
1. Main branch is always deployable
2. Create feature branches for new work
3. Open pull request when ready for review
4. Merge to main after approval
5. Deploy immediately after merge
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2. GitFlow
More structured for larger projects:
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1main ────●─────────────────●──── 2 ↑ ↑ 3release ●───● ●───● 4 ↑ ↑ 5develop ────●─●─●───●───●───●─●─●── 6 │ │ │ 7feature ●─● ●─● ●─●─●
Branches:
- main: Production code
- develop: Integration branch
- feature/*: New features
- release/*: Preparing releases
- hotfix/*: Emergency fixes
Branch Naming Conventions
Use descriptive, consistent names:
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1# Feature branches 2feature/user-authentication 3feature/payment-integration 4feature/JIRA-123-add-login 5 6# Bug fixes 7bugfix/fix-login-error 8bugfix/JIRA-456-null-pointer 910# Hotfixes11hotfix/security-patch12hotfix/critical-crash-fix
Commit Message Best Practices
Follow the conventional commits format:
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1<type>(<scope>): <description> 2 3[optional body] 4 5[optional footer]
Examples:
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1feat(auth): add Google OAuth login 2fix(api): resolve null pointer in user service 3docs(readme): update installation instructions 4style(buttons): fix hover state colors 5refactor(utils): simplify date formatting logic 6test(auth): add unit tests for login flow 7chore(deps): update React to v18.2
Pull Request Best Practices
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1. Keep PRs Small
- Under 400 lines of changes ideally
- Single responsibility
- Easier to review thoroughly
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2. Write Good PR Descriptions
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1Summary
2Add user authentication with JWT tokens 3 4## Changes 5- Add login/register endpoints 6- Implement JWT token generation 7- Add auth middleware 8- Create protected routes 910## Testing11- [ ] Unit tests pass12- [ ] Integration tests pass13- [ ] Manual testing completed1415## Screenshots16(if applicable)
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3. Code Review Tips
For Reviewers:
- Be respectful and constructive
- Explain the "why" not just the "what"
- Approve when good enough, not perfect
- Respond to all comments
- Don't take feedback personally
- Ask questions if unclear
Useful Git Commands
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1# Interactive rebase to clean up commits 2git rebase -i HEAD~3 3 4# Amend last commit 5git commit --amend 6 7# Stash changes 8git stash 9git stash pop1011# Cherry pick specific commit12git cherry-pick <commit-hash>1314# Find when a bug was introduced15git bisect start16git bisect bad17git bisect good <commit>1819# Clean up merged branches20git branch --merged | grep -v main | xargs git branch -d
Conclusion
A good Git workflow improves collaboration, code quality, and deployment confidence. Choose a workflow that fits your team size and release cadence, then stick to it consistently.
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