Git branching strategy

This post explores different Git branching options to optimally manage code base. Primarily, there are two options which most of the teams use - Git flow and GitHub flow. Let's cover them in detail.

Git Flow

Git Flow works on the idea of releases; you have many branches each specializing in specific stages of application. The branches are named as master, develop, feature, release and hotfix.

 You create a develop branch from the master branch which will be used by all developers for feature development and bug fixes for a specific release. If a developer needs to add a new feature then he will create a separate branch from develop branch so that both branches can evolve independent of each other. When feature is fully implemented, that branch gets merged back to develop. Idea is to have a stable and working develop branch; so feature gets merged back only when it's complete. Once all the features related to a release are implemented; develop branch is branched to release branch where formal testing of the release will commence. Release branch should be used only for bug fixes and not development. And finally, when it's ready for deployment it will be tagged inside master branch to support multiple feature releases. 

http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/

This flow is not ideal for projects where you do releases quite often. This helps where you have releases happening like every other month or even every month. 

GitHub Flow

https://guides.github.com/introduction/flow/

GitHub has popularized it's own flow which is quite effective for open source projects and other projects which doesn't have longer release cycles (in this, you could release every day). It's based on the idea of features. 

https://guides.github.com/introduction/flow/

It's light weight version of git flow which removes all unwarranted overhead of maintaining so many branches (It's just have feature branches apart from master). If you want to work for a feature or bug you start a separate branch from master. Once feature/bug is implemented it get's merged back to master branch. Feature branches are given quite descriptive names like oauth-support or bug#123. Developers can raise pull request to collaborate with co-workers or to do code review on the feature branch. Once code is reviewed and sign off is received the featured branch is merged back to master branch. You can have as many feature branches as you wish and once feature branch is merged it can also be deleted as master branch will have all commit history (unless you don't want). 

http://scottchacon.com/2011/08/31/github-flow.html

GitHub flow assumes that every time you merge changes to master; you are ready for production deployment.

There is 3rd branching strategy as well; GitLab Flow.


References:
https://about.gitlab.com/2014/09/29/gitlab-flow/

--happy branching !!!