Git Best Practices

Following consistent conventions makes your codebase easier to understand and collaborate on.

Commit Messages

Use the imperative mood, keep the subject under 50 characters, and separate with a blank line:

Add user authentication

- Implement login form component
- Add JWT token handling
- Update API middleware

The subject line is what shows up in git log --oneline. Write it like a command: “Add feature” not “Added feature”.

Atomic Commits

Each commit should do one thing. If you fix a bug and refactor a function, those should be two separate commits. This makes it easier to:

• Review changes in pull requests
• Revert specific changes with git revert
• Understand the history with git log

Branching Strategy

git checkout -b feature/user-auth
git checkout -b fix/login-redirect
git checkout -b chore/update-dependencies

Use descriptive branch names with prefixes: feature/, fix/, chore/, docs/. Keep main stable and always deployable.

Pull Request Workflow

1. Create a feature branch from main
2. Commit changes with clear messages
3. Push and open a PR
4. Get review and address feedback
5. Merge and delete the branch

Code Review Tips

• Keep PRs small and focused on one change
• Write a clear PR description explaining what and why
• Address all review comments before merging
• Use git rebase -i to clean up commits before merging

Protecting Your Work

• Pull before starting new work to avoid conflicts
• Run tests locally before pushing
• Use git stash when you need to switch contexts quickly
• Never force-push to shared branches

Checklist

• Add .gitignore before your first commit
• Never commit secrets, keys, or credentials
• Keep commits small and focused
• Write meaningful commit messages
• Use branches for all non-trivial work
• Review diffs before committing with git diff
• Pull before starting new work to avoid conflicts

Common Mistakes

• Committing directly to main for new features
• Writing vague messages like “fix” or “update”
• Bundling unrelated changes in one commit
• Leaving stale branches unmerged and undeleted
• Forgetting to pull before starting new work
• Not using .gitignore and committing node_modules/