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.