GitFlow Workflow in a Nutshell

What is it?

The Gitflow workflow is a strict branching model that provides a robust framework for managing large projects and teams. This workflow assigns specific responsibilities to named branches in the repository and defines how and when they should interact.

How it works

The five main branches used in this workflow include

• master branch
• develop branch
• feature branch
• release branch
• hotfix branch

Master Branch

The sole responsibily of this branch is to contain the release and hotfix history of the project. Only the release and hotfix branches can be merged into this branch.

Develop Branch

This branch is derived from the master branch at the beginning of the project.

git init
git checkout -b develop
git push -u origin develop

It serves as the integration branch for all features contained in respective feature branches.

Feature Branch

When a new feature is to be developed, a feature branch is created from develop.

git checkout develop
git checkout -b feature-branch
git push -u origin feature-branch

When development is complete, it is merged back into the develop branch.

git checkout develop
git merge feature-branch

feature branches are never allowed to interact directly with the master branch

Release Branch

When it's time for a new release, a release branch is created from develop. This branch is used to integrate all the features - since the last release - and fix any bugs that may arise

git checkout develop
git checkout -b release/2.2.3

A version number is usually appended to each release branch upon creation. When the release is ready, it is merged into the master branch.

git checkout master
git merge release/2.2.3

The release branch must be merged back into develop because it will contain relevant changes from the last release that should be integrated back into develop

git checkout develop
git merge release/2.2.3

Hotfix Branch

When a bug is detected in the master branch, a hotfix or maintenance branch is created from the master branch to resolve the issues.

git checkout master
git checkout -b hotfix-branch

Afterwards, it is merged into both master and develop branches

git checkout master
git merge hotfix-branch

git checkout develop
git merge hotfix-branch

Summary

A good demonstration of the Gitflow workflow can be seen below

git init
git checkout -b develop
git checkout -b feature_branch
# work happens on the feature branch - multiple feature branches can be created
git checkout develop
git merge feature_branch
git checkout -b release/0.1.0
# work happens on the release branch
git checkout master
git merge release/0.1.0
git checkout develop
git merge release/0.1.0

# if issues arise in master
git checkout master
git branch -d hotfix_branch
# work happens on the hotfix branch
git checkout master
git merge hotfix_branch
git checkout develop
git merge hotfix_branch