Git Branch Strategies
In this page:
Git Flow Strategy
Git Flow is a heavyweight, structured branching model built around parallel develop and main branches, plus dedicated feature/, release/, and hotfix/ branches -- well-suited to projects with scheduled releases, but often overkill for small, fast-moving teams.
Example: Git Flow Strategy
git checkout develop
git checkout -b feature/login
git checkout -b release/1.0 develop
git checkout -b hotfix/critical-bug mainGitHub Flow
GitHub Flow strips that down to one rule: branch off main for anything you're working on, open a pull request when ready, and merge back into main once it's reviewed -- simple enough for teams that deploy continuously rather than on a fixed schedule.
Example: GitHub Flow
git checkout main
git checkout -b add-search-bar
# open a pull request, review, then merge into mainGitLab Flow
GitLab Flow adds environment branches (like staging and production) alongside feature branches, so code visibly progresses through each environment as it's promoted -- giving you an audit trail of exactly what's deployed where.
Example: GitLab Flow
git checkout -b staging main
git checkout -b production stagingTrunk-Based Development
Trunk-Based Development pushes simplicity even further: everyone commits frequently to one shared trunk, often multiple times a day, using very short-lived branches (or none at all) specifically to minimize the pain of large merge conflicts.
Example: Trunk-Based Development
git checkout main
git checkout -b quick-fix
git commit -m "Small change"
git checkout main
git merge quick-fixCleaning Stale Branches
Regardless of which strategy you follow, git branch --merged main combined with git branch -d clears out feature branches whose work has already landed on main, keeping the branch list from accumulating clutter as a project grows.
Example: Cleaning Stale Branches
git branch --merged main
git branch -d old-featureChapter Quiz — Complete all 9 topics to unlock
0/9 topics done
Complete these topics first: