The right Git workflow improves collaboration and deployment reliability. This guide compares popular strategies and when to use them.
GitHub Flow#
Simple and effective for continuous deployment:
main ─────●─────●─────●─────●─────●─────
\ /
feature ●───●───●
Workflow#
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Best For#
- Small teams
- Continuous deployment
- Web applications
GitFlow#
Structured releases with multiple environments:
main ─────●───────────────●─────────
\ /
release \───●───●───/
\ /
develop ●───●───●───●───●───●───●───●
\ /
feature ●───●
Branch Types#
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Best For#
- Scheduled releases
- Multiple environments
- Mobile apps, desktop software
Trunk-Based Development#
Fast iteration with short-lived branches:
main ─────●─────●─────●─────●─────●─────
\ / \ /
●─● ●─●
(< 1 day) (< 1 day)
Workflow#
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Feature Flags#
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Best For#
- Experienced teams
- High deployment frequency
- Feature flag infrastructure
Branch Naming Conventions#
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Commit Message Conventions#
Conventional Commits#
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Pull Request Best Practices#
PR Template#
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Code Review Guidelines#
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Merge Strategies#
Merge Commit#
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Squash and Merge#
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Rebase and Merge#
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Handling Conflicts#
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Protecting Main Branch#
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Conclusion#
Choose GitHub Flow for simplicity, GitFlow for structured releases, or trunk-based for rapid iteration. Consistent naming, clear commit messages, and good PR practices matter more than the specific workflow.