Git Branching Strategy explained

Git Branching Strategy

What is a Git Branching Strategy?

A Git branching strategy defines how developers create, use, and merge branches to manage code changes safely and efficiently.

1. Git Flow Branching Strategy

Main branches:

• main → production-ready code
• develop → integration branch

Supporting branches:

• feature/* → new features
• release/* → preparing release
• hotfix/* → urgent production fix

Workflow Example:

git checkout develop
git checkout -b feature-login
# work done
git add .
git commit -m "Login feature"
git checkout develop
git merge feature-login
git checkout main
git merge develop
git push origin main

Best for: Large projects with scheduled releases.

2. GitHub Flow Branching Strategy

Main branch:

• main → always stable

Workflow:

• Create feature branch from main
• Push branch to GitHub
• Create Pull Request
• Review and merge into main

Example:

git checkout -b feature-payment
git add .
git commit -m "Payment feature"
git push origin feature-payment
# Create Pull Request and merge to main

Best for: CI/CD and small to medium teams.

3. Trunk-Based Development

Main branch:

• main (trunk) → only long-lived branch

Workflow:

• Developers commit small changes frequently to main
• Use feature flags instead of long-lived branches

Example:

git checkout main
git pull origin main
# small change
git add .
git commit -m "Small update"
git push origin main

Best for: High automation and fast delivery.

Comparison of Branching Strategies

Strategy	Branches	Complexity	Best Use
Git Flow	main, develop, feature, release, hotfix	High	Large enterprise projects
GitHub Flow	main + feature	Medium	Web apps with CI/CD
Trunk-Based	main only	Low	Microservices & fast release

Best Practices

• Keep main branch stable
• Use Pull Requests for merging
• Write meaningful commit messages
• Delete feature branches after merge
• Use CI/CD for validation

Important Git Commands

Action	Command
Create branch	git checkout -b branchname
Switch branch	git checkout branchname
Merge branch	git merge branchname
Delete branch	git branch -d branchname
Push branch	git push origin branchname
Pull latest	git pull origin main

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Source: sureshtechlabs.com

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