Branching workflows
Git workflows are strategies or patterns that teams adopt to manage code collaboration and version control using Git. Different workflows offer structures and guidelines on how branches are organized, how changes are integrated, and how releases are managed. Here are some commonly used Git workflows:
- Centralized Workflow:
- This is the simplest workflow, similar to the traditional Subversion (SVN) model.
- A single central repository serves as the source of truth.
- Developers clone the repository, make changes on a local branch, and push changes directly to the central repository.
- Collaboration is mainly through pull requests and merge requests.
- Feature Branch Workflow:
- Each feature or task is developed on its own branch.
- Developers create a new branch for a feature, work on it, and merge it back to the main branch upon completion.
- This workflow allows parallel development and easier isolation of changes.
- Collaboration is mainly through pull requests and merge requests.
- Gitflow Workflow:
- This workflow provides a structured branching model with defined branches for features, releases, and hotfixes.
- It allows teams to work on multiple features simultaneously in various branches and maintains a stable production-ready codebase.
- Forking Workflow:
- Contributors fork the central repository to their personal repositories.
- Each contributor works on their own forked repository, creating branches and making changes.
- Changes are proposed to the central repository through pull requests, and the maintainers review and merge them.
- Pull Request Workflow:
- Sometimes referred to as the GitHub Flow, this workflow is commonly used in open-source projects and collaborative teams.
- Developers fork the main repository or create a new branch, make changes, push the branch to a public repository, and submit a pull request.
- The pull request is reviewed, commented on, and ultimately approved or rejected by project maintainers.
The choice of workflow depends on the project's requirements, team size, and development methodology. It is important to choose a workflow that best suits the team's needs to ensure efficient collaboration, code quality, and streamlined releases.