Switching branches

Switching branches in Git refers to the process of changing your working directory to reflect the state of a different branch in your repository. When you switch branches, Git updates the files in your working directory to match the version stored in the branch you're switching to.

The git checkout command updates the files in your working tree to match the version stored in the branch you wish to switch to.

You can think of it as a way of switching between different workspaces.

Here’s a detailed explanation of what happens when you switch branches:

1. Updating working directory: Git updates the files in your working directory to match the latest commit on the branch you are switching to. This means that the files you see and work with in your editor or IDE will reflect the state of the branch you switched to.
2. Branch pointer: Git moves the HEAD pointer to point to the latest commit of the branch you switched to. The HEAD pointer is a reference to the current branch or commit you are working on.
3. Codebase state: The state of your codebase (files, directories, and their contents) changes to match the selected branch. Any changes that were made and committed on the previous branch will be hidden or replaced by the state of the new branch.
4. Uncommitted changes: If you have uncommitted changes in your working directory that conflict with the branch you are switching to, Git will prevent the switch until you either commit, stash, or discard those changes.