Git Feature Branch Workflow Cheat Sheet

Learn how to use Git in the context of continuous delivery and software release processes.

Step-by-step guide

This cheat sheet is organized around a *Feature Branch* workflow.

The other cheat sheets I'd seen were organized into basic and advanced

commands but not around particular steps in a process. I hope this is more

helpful by guiding you to the commands needed in context.

The **Feature Branch workflow** assumes a new branch for each new feature.

The master branch never has broken code. It helps with continuous

integration and pull requests (reviews of a feature before integration

into the master). The Feature Branch workflow is used in other workflows

like Github Flow and Git Flow.

**Github Flow** is used for continuous delivery of web apps.

Feature branches are merged directly into the master branch, and this

triggers deployment to production servers. The master branch is not tagged.

**Git Flow** is used for software release of desktop apps.

Feature branches are merged into a dev branch. Periodically the dev branch

is merged into the master, and the master is tagged with a release number.

The command options and examples in this cheat sheet are not complete or

'generic'. My goal was to show them in the way they are most commonly used

in this workflow and others. In a Git Flow or other workflow you may need to

change the name of the origin or other repositories.

I drew heavily from 'Git in Practice' by Mike McQuaid, published by Manning

Publications. I highly recommend it. Other resources that were useful are

listed and linked in the cheat sheet.