Git Workflow Best Practices

20 items · Technical · Medium difficulty · 30 min

Keep your Git history clean and PRs reviewable with these practical workflow rules.

• Adopt a clear branch naming convention

  Agree on prefixes and separators team-wide

• Prefix feature branches with feature/ (e.g., feature/ABC-123-short-desc)

  Include ticket ID and a short description

• Prefix bugfix branches with fix/ (e.g., fix/ABC-123-short-desc)
• Use release/, hotfix/, or chore/ for releases, urgent fixes, and maintenance
• Create new branches from the correct base branch

  Branch off main or develop per your team's branching model

• Write concise, descriptive commit messages

  Keep subject <=72 chars and start with a verb

• Start commit subject with a verb and include ticket ID

  Example: 'Add login validation (#123)'

• Explain the reason in the commit body when necessary

  Describe why the change was made, not just what

• Make small, single-purpose commits

  One logical change per commit eases review and rollback

• Run tests and linters locally before committing

  Fix obvious issues to keep CI builds green

• Decide when to rebase vs merge according to team policy

  Document the team's choice and use it consistently

• Rebase your feature branch onto the latest base to keep a linear history

  Rebase locally, resolve conflicts, and run tests afterwards

• Use merge commits to record integration points or preserve history

  Prefer merge commits for long-lived branches or releases

• Open a Pull Request with a clear title and summary

  Summarize changes, link tickets, and list breaking changes

• Fill the PR template: summary, testing steps, and rollback plan

  Use the project PR template to standardize required info

• Request reviewers and assign code owners as needed

  Ask specific reviewers and include domain experts

• Ensure CI checks and required approvals pass before merging

  Wait for a green build and mandated reviewer approvals

• Squash or clean up commits before final merge

  Use interactive rebase or squash merge to tidy history

• Protect main branches: block direct pushes and require PRs & checks

  Enable branch protection rules and required status checks

• Delete stale branches after merge and keep the repo tidy

  Remove merged branches locally and remotely; update tracking

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