Popular Git Workflows

Introduction

Different teams use different workflows. This lesson covers the most popular Git workflows and when to use each.

Feature Branch Workflow

Each feature on its own branch.

main:     A---B---C---D
               \
feature:     E---F

How It Works

1. Create branch from main 2. Work on feature 3. Create pull request 4. Review and merge 5. Delete feature branch

Commands

# Start feature
git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b feature-new-feature
Work and commit
git add .
git commit -m "Add feature"
Push and create PR
git push -u origin feature-new-feature
After PR merge
git checkout main
git pull
git branch -d feature-new-feature

Pros

• Simple to understand
• Good for small teams
• Features isolated

Cons

• Can cause integration issues
• No formal review process (without PR)

Gitflow Workflow

More structured with specific branch types.

Branch Types

• main - Production code
• develop - Integration branch
• feature/* - New features
• release/* - Release preparation
• hotfix/* - Emergency fixes

main:     A---B---C---D---E
                \       \
develop:     F---G---H---I---J
                  |   |
feature:       K---L   |
                    release: M---N

Commands

# Start feature
git checkout develop
git checkout -b feature-new-feature
Finish feature
git checkout develop
git merge feature-new-feature
git branch -d feature-new-feature
Start release
git checkout develop
git checkout -b release-1.0
Finish release
git checkout main
git merge release-1.0
git checkout develop
git merge release-1.0
git branch -d release-1.0
Start hotfix
git checkout main
git checkout -b hotfix-fix-bug
Finish hotfix
git checkout main
git merge hotfix-fix-bug
git checkout develop
git merge hotfix-fix-bug
git branch -d hotfix-fix-bug

Pros

• Clear structure
• Good for releases
• Organized

Cons

• Complex
• Many branches

GitHub Flow

Simpler, GitHub-centric workflow.

Rules

1. Branch from main 2. Work on branch 3. Open Pull Request 4. Review and discuss 5. Deploy and test 6. Merge to main

Commands

# Create branch
git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b feature-name
Work, commit, push
git add .
git commit -m "Description"
git push -u origin feature-name
Create PR (via GitHub)
After approval and deploy
git checkout main
git pull
git branch -d feature-name

Pros

• Simple
• Continuous delivery
• GitHub integrated

Cons

• Requires good tests
• Deploy-first mindset

Trunk-Based Development

Developers work in main or short-lived branches.

Principles

• Branches live less than 2 days
• Small, frequent commits
• Feature flags for incomplete features

main: A---B---C---D---E---F---G
         \     \     \
feature1  H---I---J   \
                      \
feature2              K---L

Commands

# Very short branch
git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b feature-small
Quick work
git add .
git commit -m "Quick feature"
Back to main quickly
git checkout main
git merge feature-small

Pros

• Fast integration
• Reduces merge hell
• Continuous integration

Cons

• Requires strong testing
• Feature flags required

Forking Workflow

Contribute without direct repository access.

original-repo/main: A---B---C
fork-repo/main:     A---B---C---D
fork-repo/feature:        \
                    E---F

How It Works

1. Fork repository on GitHub 2. Clone your fork 3. Create branch on your fork 4. Make changes and push 5. Create Pull Request to original

Commands

# Clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/you/repo.git
cd repo
Add upstream
git remote add upstream https://github.com/original/repo.git
Create branch
git checkout -b feature
Make changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add feature"
Push to your fork
git push origin feature
Create PR to original repo

Pros

• Open source friendly
• No permissions needed
• Clean contributor workflow

Cons

• More complex
• Synchronization challenges

Choosing a Workflow

Summary

Choose workflow based on:

• Team size
• Release frequency
• Project complexity
• Tooling (GitHub, GitLab, etc.)

Next Lesson

Learn about Git hooks and plugins to extend functionality.