Git & GitHub - Branching in Git

Introduction to branching and how to create branches

Branching is a powerful feature in Git that allows you to create separate lines of development within a repository. This guide introduces the concept of branching and explains how to create and manage branches in Git.

What is a Branch?

A branch in Git is a lightweight movable pointer to a commit. The default branch in a repository is usually called main. When you want to add a new feature or fix a bug, you create a new branch to encapsulate your changes.

# View all branches in the repository
$ git branch

# Create a new branch
$ git branch new-feature

# Switch to the new branch
$ git checkout new-feature
                

Creating a Branch

To create a new branch, use the git branch command followed by the name of the new branch. This creates a new branch but does not switch to it.

# Create a new branch named "new-feature"
$ git branch new-feature
                

Switching Branches

To switch to an existing branch, use the git checkout command followed by the name of the branch. This updates your working directory to match the state of the selected branch.

# Switch to the "new-feature" branch
$ git checkout new-feature
                

Creating and Switching Branches

You can create a new branch and switch to it immediately using the git checkout -b command. This is a shortcut that combines branch creation and switching.

# Create and switch to a new branch named "new-feature"
$ git checkout -b new-feature
                

Merging Branches

Once you have finished working on a branch, you can merge it back into the main branch using the git merge command. First, switch to the branch you want to merge into (typically main), then execute the merge command.

# Switch to the main branch
$ git checkout main

# Merge the "new-feature" branch into the main branch
$ git merge new-feature
                

Deleting Branches

After merging a branch and ensuring it is no longer needed, you can delete it using the git branch -d command. This helps keep your repository clean and manageable.

# Delete the "new-feature" branch
$ git branch -d new-feature
                

If the branch has not been merged, you can force delete it using the git branch -D command.

# Force delete the "new-feature" branch
$ git branch -D new-feature
                

Summary

This guide provided an introduction to branching in Git, including how to create, switch, merge, and delete branches. Branching is a fundamental feature in Git that enables parallel development and helps manage project workflows effectively.