Git Workflow

git-workflow

Git workflows, conventional commits, branching strategies, and pull request management.

Conventional Commits

Format: <type>(<scope>): <description>

Types

feat:     New feature
fix:      Bug fix
docs:     Documentation only
style:    Formatting, no code change
refactor: Code change, no feature/fix
perf:     Performance improvement
test:     Adding tests
chore:    Build, config, dependencies
ci:       CI/CD changes
revert:   Revert previous commit

Examples

git commit -m "feat(auth): add OAuth2 login"
git commit -m "fix(api): handle null response"
git commit -m "docs: update README installation"
git commit -m "chore(deps): upgrade React to 19"
git commit -m "refactor(utils): simplify date formatting"

Breaking Changes

git commit -m "feat(api)!: change response format"
# or
git commit -m "feat(api): change response format

BREAKING CHANGE: Response now returns array instead of object"

Branch Naming

Format

<type>/<ticket>-<description>

Examples

git checkout -b feat/AUTH-123-oauth-login
git checkout -b fix/BUG-456-null-pointer
git checkout -b chore/upgrade-dependencies
git checkout -b hotfix/security-patch

Types

feat/     Feature branch
fix/      Bug fix branch
hotfix/   Urgent production fix
chore/    Maintenance
docs/     Documentation
refactor/ Code refactoring
test/     Test additions

Common Workflows

Start New Feature

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b feat/TICKET-123-feature-name

Commit Changes

git add -A
git commit -m "feat(scope): description"

Push and Create PR

git push -u origin HEAD
gh pr create --title "feat(scope): description" --body "## Summary\n- Change 1\n- Change 2"

Update Branch with Main

# Rebase (clean history)
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main

# Or merge (preserves history)
git merge origin/main

Interactive Rebase (squash commits)

git rebase -i HEAD~3  # Last 3 commits
# Change 'pick' to 'squash' or 's' for commits to combine

Amend Last Commit

git add .
git commit --amend --no-edit  # Keep same message
git commit --amend -m "new message"  # Change message

Undo Commits

git reset --soft HEAD~1   # Undo commit, keep changes staged
git reset --mixed HEAD~1  # Undo commit, keep changes unstaged
git reset --hard HEAD~1   # Undo commit, discard changes

Cherry Pick

git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
git cherry-pick <hash1> <hash2>  # Multiple commits

Stash Changes

git stash                    # Stash changes
git stash -m "description"   # With message
git stash list               # List stashes
git stash pop                # Apply and remove
git stash apply              # Apply and keep
git stash drop               # Remove stash

Git Log

git log --oneline -10                    # Last 10 commits, compact
git log --oneline --graph --all          # Visual branch graph
git log --since="1 week ago"             # Last week
git log --author="name"                  # By author
git log --grep="fix"                     # Search message
git log -p                               # Show diffs
git log --stat                           # Show file changes

Git Diff

git diff                     # Unstaged changes
git diff --staged            # Staged changes
git diff HEAD~3              # Last 3 commits
git diff main..feature       # Between branches
git diff --name-only         # Only file names

Tags

git tag v1.0.0                           # Lightweight tag
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release 1.0.0"    # Annotated tag
git push origin v1.0.0                   # Push tag
git push origin --tags                   # Push all tags
git tag -d v1.0.0                        # Delete local tag
git push origin :refs/tags/v1.0.0       # Delete remote tag

Clean Up

git branch -d feature-branch             # Delete merged branch
git branch -D feature-branch             # Force delete branch
git remote prune origin                  # Clean stale remote refs
git gc                                   # Garbage collect

Aliases (add to ~/.gitconfig)

[alias]
  co = checkout
  br = branch
  ci = commit
  st = status
  lg = log --oneline --graph --all
  last = log -1 HEAD
  unstage = reset HEAD --
  amend = commit --amend --no-edit

PR Best Practices

1. Small PRs: Keep changes focused, < 400 lines
2. Clear title: Use conventional commit format
3. Description: Explain what and why
4. Tests: Include relevant tests
5. Self-review: Review your own diff first
6. Screenshots: For UI changes

Merge Strategies

# Merge commit (preserves history)
git merge feature-branch

# Squash merge (single commit)
git merge --squash feature-branch
git commit -m "feat: feature description"

# Rebase merge (linear history)
git rebase main
git checkout main
git merge feature-branch --ff-only

Troubleshooting

Undo pushed commit

git revert <commit-hash>
git push

Fix detached HEAD

git checkout main
# Or save changes:
git checkout -b new-branch

Recover deleted branch

git reflog  # Find commit hash
git checkout -b recovered-branch <hash>

Resolve merge conflicts

git status                   # See conflicted files
# Edit files, resolve conflicts
git add <resolved-files>
git commit                   # Complete merge