Git Workflow Patterns

Best practices for Git version control, branching strategies, and collaborative development.

When to Activate

• Setting up Git workflow for a new project
• Deciding on branching strategy (GitFlow, trunk-based, GitHub flow)
• Writing commit messages and PR descriptions
• Resolving merge conflicts
• Managing releases and version tags
• Onboarding new team members to Git practices

Branching Strategies

#### GitHub Flow (Simple, Recommended for Most)

Best for continuous deployment and small-to-medium teams.

main (protected, always deployable)
  │
  ├── feature/user-auth      → PR → merge to main
  ├── feature/payment-flow   → PR → merge to main
  └── fix/login-bug          → PR → merge to main

Rules:

• main is always deployable
• Create feature branches from main
• Open Pull Request when ready for review
• After approval and CI passes, merge to main
• Deploy immediately after merge

#### Trunk-Based Development (High-Velocity Teams)

Best for teams with strong CI/CD and feature flags.

main (trunk)
  │
  ├── short-lived feature (1-2 days max)
  ├── short-lived feature
  └── short-lived feature

Rules:

• Everyone commits to main or very short-lived branches
• Feature flags hide incomplete work
• CI must pass before merge
• Deploy multiple times per day

#### GitFlow (Complex, Release-Cycle Driven)

Best for scheduled releases and enterprise projects.

main (production releases)
  │
  └── develop (integration branch)
        │
        ├── feature/user-auth
        ├── feature/payment
        │
        ├── release/1.0.0    → merge to main and develop
        │
        └── hotfix/critical  → merge to main and develop

Rules:

• main contains production-ready code only
• develop is the integration branch
• Feature branches from develop, merge back to develop
• Release branches from develop, merge to main and develop
• Hotfix branches from main, merge to both main and develop

#### When to Use Which

Commit Messages

#### Conventional Commits Format

<type>(<scope>): <subject>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

#### Types

#### Good vs Bad Examples

# BAD: Vague, no context
git commit -m "fixed stuff"
git commit -m "updates"
git commit -m "WIP"

# GOOD: Clear, specific, explains why
git commit -m "fix(api): retry requests on 503 Service Unavailable

The external API occasionally returns 503 errors during peak hours.
Added exponential backoff retry logic with max 3 attempts.

Closes #123"

#### Commit Message Template

Create .gitmessage in repo root:

# <type>(<scope>): <subject>
# # Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore, perf, ci, revert
# Scope: api, ui, db, auth, etc.
# Subject: imperative mood, no period, max 50 chars
#
# [optional body] - explain why, not what
# [optional footer] - Breaking changes, closes #issue

Enable with: git config commit.template .gitmessage

Merge vs Rebase

#### Merge (Preserves History)

# Creates a merge commit
git checkout main
git merge feature/user-auth

# Result:
# *   merge commit
# |\
# | * feature commits
# |/
# * main commits

Use when:

• Merging feature branches into main
• You want to preserve exact history
• Multiple people worked on the branch
• The branch has been pushed and others may have based work on it

#### Rebase (Linear History)

# Rewrites feature commits onto target branch
git checkout feature/user-auth
git rebase main

# Result:
# * feature commits (rewritten)
# * main commits

Use when:

• Updating your local feature branch with latest main
• You want a linear, clean history
• The branch is local-only (not pushed)
• You're the only one working on the branch

#### Rebase Workflow

# Update feature branch with latest main (before PR)
git checkout feature/user-auth
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main

# Fix any conflicts
# Tests should still pass

# Force push (only if you're the only contributor)
git push --force-with-lease origin feature/user-auth

Any push, including --force-with-lease, happens only on explicit user instruction. Prefer --force-with-lease over --force so you never clobber commits you have not seen; on shared or public branches, revert instead of rewriting (see When NOT to Rebase).

#### When NOT to Rebase

# NEVER rebase branches that:
- Have been pushed to a shared repository
- Other people have based work on
- Are protected branches (main, develop)
- Are already merged

# Why: Rebase rewrites history, breaking others' work

Pull Request Workflow

#### PR Title Format

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

Examples:
feat(auth): add SSO support for enterprise users
fix(api): resolve race condition in order processing
docs(api): add OpenAPI specification for v2 endpoints

#### PR Description Template

## What

Brief description of what this PR does.

## Why

Explain the motivation and context.

## How

Key implementation details worth highlighting.

## Testing

- [ ] Unit tests added/updated
- [ ] Integration tests added/updated
- [ ] Manual testing performed

## Screenshots (if applicable)

Before/after screenshots for UI changes.

## Checklist

- [ ] Code follows project style guidelines
- [ ] Self-review completed
- [ ] Comments added for complex logic
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] No new warnings introduced
- [ ] Tests pass locally
- [ ] Related issues linked

Closes #123

#### Code Review Checklist

For Reviewers:

• [ ] Does the code solve the stated problem?
• [ ] Are there any edge cases not handled?
• [ ] Is the code readable and maintainable?
• [ ] Are there sufficient tests?
• [ ] Are there security concerns?
• [ ] Is the commit history clean (squashed if needed)?

For Authors:

• [ ] Self-review completed before requesting review
• [ ] CI passes (tests, lint, typecheck)
• [ ] PR size is reasonable (<500 lines ideal)
• [ ] Related to a single feature/fix
• [ ] Description clearly explains the change

Conflict Resolution

#### Identify Conflicts

# Check for conflicts before merge
git checkout main
git merge feature/user-auth --no-commit --no-ff

# If conflicts, Git will show:
# CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in src/auth/login.ts
# Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.

#### Resolve Conflicts

# See conflicted files
git status

# View conflict markers in file
# <<<<<<< HEAD
# content from main
# =======
# content from feature branch
# >>>>>>> feature/user-auth

# Option 1: Manual resolution
# Edit file, remove markers, keep correct content

# Option 2: Use merge tool
git mergetool

# Option 3: Accept one side
git checkout --ours src/auth/login.ts    # Keep main version
git checkout --theirs src/auth/login.ts  # Keep feature version

# After resolving, stage and commit
git add src/auth/login.ts
git commit

#### Conflict Prevention Strategies

# 1. Keep feature branches small and short-lived
# 2. Rebase frequently onto main
git checkout feature/user-auth
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main

# 3. Communicate with team about touching shared files
# 4. Use feature flags instead of long-lived branches
# 5. Review and merge PRs promptly

Branch Management

#### Naming Conventions

# Feature branches
feature/user-authentication
feature/JIRA-123-payment-integration

# Bug fixes
fix/login-redirect-loop
fix/456-null-pointer-exception

# Hotfixes (production issues)
hotfix/critical-security-patch
hotfix/database-connection-leak

# Releases
release/1.2.0
release/2024-01-hotfix

# Experiments/POCs
experiment/new-caching-strategy
poc/graphql-migration

#### Branch Cleanup

# Delete local branches that are merged
git branch --merged main | grep -v "^\*\|main" | xargs -n 1 git branch -d

# Delete remote-tracking references for deleted remote branches
git fetch -p

# Delete local branch
git branch -d feature/user-auth  # Safe delete (only if merged)
git branch -D feature/user-auth  # Force delete

# Delete remote branch
git push origin --delete feature/user-auth

#### Stash Workflow

# Save work in progress
git stash push -m "WIP: user authentication"

# List stashes
git stash list

# Apply most recent stash
git stash pop

# Apply specific stash
git stash apply stash@{2}

# Drop stash
git stash drop stash@{0}

Release Management

#### Semantic Versioning

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

MAJOR: Breaking changes
MINOR: New features, backward compatible
PATCH: Bug fixes, backward compatible

Examples:
1.0.0 → 1.0.1 (patch: bug fix)
1.0.1 → 1.1.0 (minor: new feature)
1.1.0 → 2.0.0 (major: breaking change)

#### Creating Releases

# Create annotated tag
git tag -a v1.2.0 -m "Release v1.2.0

Features:
- Add user authentication
- Implement password reset

Fixes:
- Resolve login redirect issue

Breaking Changes:
- None"

# Push tag to remote
git push origin v1.2.0

# List tags
git tag -l

# Delete tag
git tag -d v1.2.0
git push origin --delete v1.2.0

#### Changelog Generation

# Generate changelog from commits
git log v1.1.0..v1.2.0 --oneline --no-merges

# Or use conventional-changelog
npx conventional-changelog -i CHANGELOG.md -s

Git Configuration

#### Essential Configs

# User identity
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

# Default branch name
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

# Pull behavior (rebase instead of merge)
git config --global pull.rebase true

# Push behavior (push current branch only)
git config --global push.default current

# Auto-correct typos
git config --global help.autocorrect 1

# Better diff algorithm
git config --global diff.algorithm histogram

# Color output
git config --global color.ui auto

#### Useful Aliases

# Add to ~/.gitconfig
[alias]
    co = checkout
    br = branch
    ci = commit
    st = status
    unstage = reset HEAD --
    last = log -1 HEAD
    visual = log --oneline --graph --all
    amend = commit --amend --no-edit
    wip = commit -m "WIP"
    undo = reset --soft HEAD~1
    contributors = shortlog -sn

#### Gitignore Patterns

# Dependencies
node_modules/
vendor/

# Build outputs
dist/
build/
*.o
*.exe

# Environment files
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

# IDE
.idea/
.vscode/
*.swp
*.swo

# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Logs
*.log
logs/

# Test coverage
coverage/

# Cache
.cache/
*.tsbuildinfo

Common Workflows

#### Starting a New Feature

# 1. Update main branch
git checkout main
git pull origin main

# 2. Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/user-auth

# 3. Make changes and commit (stage explicit paths, not the whole tree)
git add src/auth/oauth.ts src/auth/oauth.test.ts
git commit -m "feat(auth): implement OAuth2 login"

Commits stay local until you decide to share them. When you are ready, and only on explicit instruction, push the branch and open the PR as separate deliberate steps:

git push -u origin feature/user-auth

Then create the Pull Request on GitHub/GitLab.

#### Updating a PR with New Changes

git add src/auth/oauth.ts

git commit -m "feat(auth): add error handling"

Pushing the update to the PR is a separate step, done only on explicit user instruction:

git push origin feature/user-auth

#### Syncing Fork with Upstream

# 1. Add upstream remote (once)
git remote add upstream https://github.com/original/repo.git

# 2. Fetch upstream
git fetch upstream

# 3. Merge upstream/main into your main
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main

Push the synced main to your fork only when you choose to, on explicit instruction:

git push origin main

#### Undoing Mistakes

# Undo last commit (keep changes)
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# Undo last commit (discard changes)
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# Undo last commit pushed to remote
git revert HEAD
git push origin main

# Undo specific file changes
git checkout HEAD -- path/to/file

# Fix last commit message
git commit --amend -m "New message"

# Add forgotten file to last commit
git add forgotten-file
git commit --amend --no-edit

Git Hooks

#### Pre-Commit Hook

#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/pre-commit

# Run linting
npm run lint || exit 1

# Run tests
npm test || exit 1

# Check for secrets
if git diff --cached | grep -E '(password|api_key|secret)'; then
    echo "Possible secret detected. Commit aborted."
    exit 1
fi

#### Pre-Push Hook

#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/pre-push

# Run full test suite
npm run test:all || exit 1

# Check for console.log statements
if git diff origin/main | grep -E 'console\.log'; then
    echo "Remove console.log statements before pushing."
    exit 1
fi

Anti-Patterns

# BAD: Committing directly to main
git checkout main
git commit -m "fix bug"

# GOOD: Use feature branches and PRs

# BAD: Committing secrets
git add .env  # Contains API keys

# GOOD: Add to .gitignore, use environment variables

# BAD: Giant PRs (1000+ lines)
# GOOD: Break into smaller, focused PRs

# BAD: "Update" commit messages
git commit -m "update"
git commit -m "fix"

# GOOD: Descriptive messages
git commit -m "fix(auth): resolve redirect loop after login"

# BAD: Rewriting public history
git push --force origin main

# GOOD: Use revert for public branches (and any push happens only on explicit user instruction)
git revert HEAD

# BAD: Long-lived feature branches (weeks/months)
# GOOD: Keep branches short (days), rebase frequently

# BAD: Committing generated files
git add dist/
git add node_modules/

# GOOD: Add to .gitignore

Quick Reference

Commit Signing

All commits and tags must be cryptographically signed. SSH keys are preferred over GPG:

git config --global commit.gpgsign true
git config --global gpg.format ssh
git config --global user.signingkey ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Verify: git log --show-signature

Secret Scanning Pre-commit Hook

Install git-secrets and configure it as a pre-commit hook to prevent credentials from being committed:

git secrets --install
git secrets --register-aws  # or custom patterns

Pull Request Template

Every repository must have .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md:

## What
<!-- Describe what changed and why -->

## Why
<!-- Link to issue/ticket; explain the motivation -->

## How
<!-- Summarize the technical approach -->

## Testing Done
<!-- What tests were run? What scenarios were verified? -->

## Checklist
- [ ] Tests pass (`CI green`)
- [ ] No new lint warnings
- [ ] Documentation updated if needed
- [ ] Migration scripts reviewed (if DB changes)

Code Review Standards

SLA: Reviewers must respond within 1 business day of review request.

Comment prefixes (enforce consistent semantics):

• blocking:: must be resolved before merge
• nit:: optional style preference; author may ignore
• question:: seeking understanding; no action required unless author chooses

Branch protection (required settings):

• Minimum 2 approving reviews before merge
• Dismiss stale reviews when new commits are pushed
• Require branch to be up-to-date with base before merge

Merge Strategy by Scenario

Automated Changelog

Use git-cliff or conventional-changelog on every release:

git-cliff --tag v1.2.0 -o CHANGELOG.md

Requires Conventional Commits format: feat:, fix:, chore:, docs:, etc.

Git LFS

Track binary assets in Git LFS:

git lfs track "*.png" "*.jpg" "*.gif" "*.mp4" "*.pdf" "*.zip" "*.jar" "*.wasm" "*.fbx" "*.wav" "*.mp3"
git add .gitattributes

Branch Lifecycle Policy

• Auto-delete merged branches immediately after merge (enable in GitHub/GitLab settings)
• Stale branch review: any unmerged branch older than 30 days must be reviewed: either rebased and merged, or deleted
• Never leave WIP/draft branches open indefinitely

Monorepo Configuration

For monorepos:

• Use CODEOWNERS with path-based ownership: .github/CODEOWNERS
• Configure path-based CI triggers so only affected packages re-run
• Consider Turborepo, Pants, or Bazel for incremental build graphs

# .github/CODEOWNERS
/packages/auth/   @team-security
/apps/frontend/   @team-frontend
/infra/           @team-platform