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Common Git Workflows

Common Git Workflows

There are several common Git workflows used by development teams and open-source contributors, each offering different ways to manage branching, merging, and collaboration. The choice of workflow often depends on the size of the team, the nature of the project, and the complexity of the codebase.

Some common Git workflows are as follows:

Centralized Workflow

This workflow is often used by small teams or for simpler projects. In this approach, there is a single central repository, and all contributors clone this repository. Developers work directly on the main or master branch.

  • Everyone clones the same central repository.
  • Developers work directly on the main or master branch or create temporary branches.
  • Once changes are complete, developers push directly to the central repository.
  • The project manager or team lead can review and approve the changes before they are merged.

Best for: Small teams with simple projects, minimal branching, and frequent releases.

Feature Branch Workflow

This is one of the most widely adopted workflows. Developers create separate branches for each new feature or bug fix. This workflow keeps the main branch clean and stable.  The main branch (main or develop) is kept stable and production-ready.

  • Developers create a new branch for each feature or bug fix, branching off from main or develop.
  • Once the feature or fix is complete, the developer pushes the branch and creates a pull request (PR) to merge it into main or develop.
  • The team reviews the PR, resolves conflict if necessary, and merges it once approved.
  • This keeps the main branch stable and minimizes risk by isolating changes.

Best for: Teams working on multiple features or fixes simultaneously, allowing parallel development without disturbing the main codebase.

Gitflow Workflow

Gitflow is a more structured and formalized workflow that is useful for larger projects with multiple release stages, such as development, staging, and production. It introduces dedicated branches for handling specific tasks. It involves a set of branches with defined purposes and is particularly useful for managing releases and hotfixes.

  • main (or master): This branch contains production-ready code.
  • develop: This is where the latest development changes are integrated. It is used as the base for new feature branches.
  • Feature branches: Created  develop to work on individual features.
  • Release branches: Once a set of features is complete, a release branch is created  develop for testing and bug fixing before deployment.
  • Hotfix branches: For urgent fixes directly from main when bugs are found in production.
  • After a release or hotfix, the branch is merged back into main and develop.

Best for: Teams with a complex release cycle or projects that require strict management of development, testing, and production stages.

Forking Workflow

Commonly used in open-source projects, the forking workflow allows contributors to freely clone and modify repositories without affecting the main repository until their changes are reviewed. This workflow is highly decentralized and allows for large-scale collaboration.

  • Developers fork the repository to create their own copy (fork) on a platform like GitHub.
  • They then clone the forked repository locally and create feature branches.
  • Once the work is complete, the contributor pushes the changes to their fork and creates a pull request to the main repository.
  • Maintainers of the original repository review the pull request, possibly requesting changes before merging.

Best for: Open-source projects or large teams with many external contributors, ensuring that the main repository is protected from direct changes.

GitHub Flow

GitHub Flow is a simplified version of Gitflow, primarily designed for teams that deploy frequently. It’s based on creating branches off of main and merging them back through pull requests. This workflow is especially popular in continuous delivery (CD) environments.

  • Create a feature branch from main.
  • Work on the feature or fix in the feature branch.
  • Open a pull request (PR) to merge changes into main.
  • The team reviews the PR, and once approved, the changes are merged.
  • The changes are deployed automatically to production (often via CI/CD pipelines).

Best for: Continuous delivery teams with simplified workflows.

Trunk-Based Development

This workflow encourages developers to work on the main or trunk branch and to commit frequently. It’s designed for teams that aim for rapid delivery and continuous integration. Feature flags or toggles are often used to manage incomplete or experimental features.

  • Developers work directly on main (or trunk), with each change or feature being committed and pushed frequently.
  • Developers can use feature flags to enable/disable incomplete or experimental features without breaking the main branch.
  • Frequent small commits ensure faster feedback and better integration with CI/CD pipelines.

Best for: Teams that prioritize continuous integration and delivery, rapid development cycles, and reduced complexity in version control.

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