Git Branching Strategies: Choosing and Applying GitHub Flow vs. Git Flow
Branch strategies address code conflicts and version management issues in multi-person collaboration, enabling more organized teamwork. The mainstream strategies are GitHub Flow and Git Flow. GitHub Flow is minimalist and flexible, with only two branches: `main` (the main branch) and temporary branches (e.g., `feature/xxx`). The process is straightforward: create a temporary branch from `main`, make modifications, and merge back to `main` via a Pull Request (PR), supporting continuous deployment. Its advantages include simplicity, efficiency, and rapid iteration, making it suitable for personal projects or scenarios requiring quick updates. However, it lacks version planning and is unsuitable for complex version management. Git Flow has clear division of labor with five branches: `main`, `develop`, `feature`, `release`, and `hotfix`. The process is strict, with fixed responsibilities for each branch and phases such as development, testing, and release. It excels in standardization, orderliness, and risk control, making it ideal for large teams or long-term maintenance projects. On the downside, it has a high learning curve and slower iteration speed. Selection recommendations: Choose GitHub Flow for small teams and fast-paced projects; select Git Flow for large teams or projects requiring version management. The core is to ensure smooth collaboration without sacrificing efficiency.
Read MoreBest Practices for Git Branch Merging: 5 Practical Tips to Reduce Conflicts
This article shares 5 tips to reduce Git branch merge conflicts: 1. **Clear branch responsibilities**: Assign specific roles to branches, e.g., `main` for stable code, `feature/*` for new features, `bugfix/*` for production issues, etc., to avoid overlapping merge scopes. 2. **Small, incremental commits**: Split tasks into minimal changes. Each commit should modify only a small amount of code, reducing merge differences and making auto-resolution of conflicts easier. 3. **Frequent main branch synchronization**: Pull the latest code from the main branch daily (`git merge` or `rebase`) to keep feature branches aligned with `main` and prevent divergence. 4. **Use `rebase` to organize commits**: "Replay" local commits onto the latest main branch code to maintain a linear commit history and minimize divergent conflicts (only applicable to branches not yet pushed to remote). 5. **Resolve conflicts correctly**: Understand the `<<<<<<<`, `=======`, and `>>>>>>>` markers. Modify code and remove markers; consult colleagues if unsure. **Core principles**: Clear responsibilities, small commits, frequent synchronization, clean history, and proper conflict resolution can significantly reduce merge conflicts.
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