Branching
What is a Branch?
A branch is a separate line of development. It allows you to work on features or fixes without affecting the main codebase.
Creating Branches
# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b feature-branch
# Create branch without switching
git branch feature-branch
# Switch to existing branch
git checkout feature-branch
Listing Branches
# List local branches
git branch
# List all branches (local and remote)
git branch -a
Switching Between Branches
git checkout main
git checkout feature-branch
Merging Branches
# Merge feature-branch into current branch
git merge feature-branch
# Merge with a commit message
git merge feature-branch -m "Merge feature-branch"
Deleting Branches
# Delete merged branch
git branch -d feature-branch
# Force delete unmerged branch
git branch -D feature-branch
Branch Naming Conventions
mainormaster: Main development branchdevelop: Development branchfeature/*: Feature branchesbugfix/*: Bug fix brancheshotfix/*: Hotfix branches
Checking Out Remote Branches
# List remote branches
git branch -r
# Checkout remote branch
git checkout -b local-branch origin/remote-branch
