Introduction to Git Flow

Reference: https://github.com/kasuken/git-flow-cheatsheet by Emanuele Bartolesi (2023)

Foundations of Git

Overview

GitFlow is a workflow that defines a strict branching structure and a set of rules for merging changes between branches. It is based on two main branches: main and develop.

• main: This branch contains the production-ready code. It is updated only when a new release is ready to be deployed.
• develop: This branch contains the latest features and bug fixes that are being worked on. It is updated regularly by merging feature branches into it.

In addition to these two main branches, GitFlow uses four types of supporting branches: feature, release, hotfix and support.

Feature	These branches are created from develop and merged back into develop when a feature is completed. They are used to implement new functionality or enhancements. They have names like feature/xxx, where xxx is a descriptive name of the feature.	Develop → Feature → Develop
Release	These branches are created from develop and merged into main and develop when a release is ready to be deployed. They are used to prepare the code for production, such as fixing bugs, updating documentation, and changing configuration. They have names like release/x.y.z, where x.y.z is the version number of the release.	Develop → Release → Develop & Main
Hotfix	These branches are created from main and merged into main and develop when a critical bug needs to be fixed in production. They are used to patch the code without affecting the ongoing development. They have names like hotfix/x.y.z, where x.y.z is the version number of the hotfix.	Main → Hotfix → Develop & Main

Commands

The following commands are examples of how to use GitFlow. You can also use a graphical tool or a plugin to manage GitFlow.

Initialize GitFlow

To start using GitFlow, you need to initialize it in your repository. This will create the main and develop branches and set some configuration options.

git flow init

You can use the -d option to accept the default branch names.

Start a feature branch

To start working on a new feature, you need to create a feature branch from develop.

git flow feature start <name>

This will create a branch called feature/name and switch to it.

Finish a feature branch

When you are done with your feature, you need to merge it back into develop and delete the feature branch.

git flow feature finish <name>

This will merge feature/name into develop, switch to develop, and delete feature/name.

Start a release branch

When you are ready to prepare a new release, you need to create a release branch from develop.

git flow release start <version>

This will create a branch called release/version and switch to it.

Finish a release branch

When you have finished testing and fixing your release, you need to merge it into main and develop and tag it with the version number.

git flow release finish <version>

This will merge release/version into main and develop, switch to main, tag it with, switch back to develop, and delete release/version.

Important: if you want to tag the release directly from the command, add the parameter -m at the end of the command.

git flow release finish <version> -m <yourtag>

Start a hotfix branch

When you need to fix a critical bug in production, you need to create a hotfix branch from main.

git flow hotfix start <version>

This will create a branch called hotfix/version and switch to it.

Finish a hotfix branch

When you have fixed the bug, you need to merge it into main and develop and tag it with the version number.

git flow hotfix finish <version>

This will merge hotfix/version into main and develop, switch to main, tag it with, switch back to develop, and delete hotfix/version.