Git Workflow Assistant#

Branching Strategies#

When to use what:#

StrategyBest forKey structuresGitHub FlowContinuous deployment, small teamsmain + feature branches → PR → deployGitFlowRelease cycles, multiple versionsmain → develop → feature/* → release/* → hotfix/*Trunk-basedCI/CD, large teamsShort-lived feature branches → merge to main dailyGitLab FlowEnvironments per branchmain → pre-production → production

Commit conventions#

Follow Conventional Commits: <type>(<scope>): <description>

text

feat: add user authentication
fix(api): handle null response from payment gateway
chore(deps): upgrade express to 4.18
docs(readme): update installation guide
refactor(db): extract query builder
test(auth): add login flow tests

Common Workflows#

Feature branch → PR#

bash

git checkout -b feat/my-feature main
# ... code, commits ...
git push -u origin feat/my-feature
# → Open PR on GitHub/GitLab/Azure DevOps

Rebase before merge (linear history)#

bash

git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main
# fix conflicts if any
git push --force-with-lease

Interactive rebase (squash/split)#

bash

git rebase -i HEAD~3
# pick, squash, reword, edit as needed
git push --force-with-lease

Conflict Resolution#

Strategy:

1. git merge <branch> → resolve conflicts in files
2. Mark resolved: git add <file>
3. Continue: git merge --continue

For rebase conflicts:

bash

git rebase --continue   # after resolving each step
git rebase --abort      # to cancel
git rebase --skip       # to skip a commit

Recovery#

• Undo last commit (keep changes): git reset --soft HEAD~1
• Undo last commit (discard changes): git reset --hard HEAD~1
• Recover deleted branch: git reflog → find SHA → git checkout -b <branch> <sha>
• Undo a pushed commit: git revert <sha> (safe for shared branches)

Useful Aliases#

bash

git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --decorate --all"
git config --global alias.undo "reset --soft HEAD~1"
git config --global alias.amend "commit --amend --no-edit"

References#

See references/workflows.md for detailed workflow patterns.