Stuck in a branching maze? Git branch management showdown: Git Flow vs. GitHub Flow, who is more suitable for your team?

Git Flow and GitHub Flow are two common Git workflows, each with its advantages and limitations. This article compares the two workflows to help you understand when and how to choose the method that best suits your team's development needs.

1. Git Flow

1 Overview

Git Flow is a very popular Git branch management model, which was proposed by Vincent Driessen in 2010. It has been widely adopted since then and provides a structured way to manage releases and feature development. It provides a set of specific branch naming rules and workflow, which helps the team better organize and manage code development and release. This model was proposed by Vincent Driessen on his blog and has been widely adopted. You can find a detailed explanation of the Git Flow model at the following link:

Git Flow - A successful Git branching model (Original Blog Post)

In this blog post, Vincent Driessen introduces the basic principles of Git Flow, the types of branches, and the workflow at different stages. The model covers main branches (master and develop), support branches (feature, release, hotfix and bugfix), etc. It provides a standardized way to handle common development scenarios like feature development, version releases, and bug fixing.

In addition, there are some Git Flow extension tools and plug-ins that make using Git Flow more convenient. Some of the popular Git Flow tools include Git Flow Tool itself, Git Flow AVH Edition, Git Extensions, etc. These tools provide some command-line tools or a graphical interface to simplify the use of Git Flow workflow.

If you work in Scrum and want to make a release at the end of a sprint, then you will need to use Git Flow. Also, if you rely on QA to manually test your code before it goes into production, that might be another reason you might want to use Git Flow.

2. Branch

Git Flow defines several long-lived branches:

  • master: The main branch, used to store the code of the production environment.
  • develop: An integration branch for continuous development and feature merging.
  • feature: Feature branch, used to develop new features.
  • release: release branch, used to prepare for the release of new versions.
  • hotfix: hotfix branch, used for emergency bug fixes.

3. Advantages and disadvantages

advantage:

  1. Structured workflow: Git Flow provides a clear and orderly workflow, suitable for projects that require explicit version control and formal release.
  2. Code isolation: each feature is developed on a separate branch, ensuring a clean separation of work.
  3. Version management: Git Flow supports version control and supports maintaining multiple versions running.

limitation:

  1. Complexity: Git Flow introduces complexity due to multiple long-lived branches, which makes it less suitable for smaller projects or teams employing continuous delivery practices.
  2. Overhead: Managing and merging multiple branches can slow down the development process.

Git Flow is a very popular Git branch management model, but the author also explained that it is not a "panacea". If your team is doing continuous delivery of software, I recommend adopting a simpler workflow such as GitHub flow instead of trying to shoehorn git-flow into your team.

Two, GitHub Flow

1 Overview

GitHub Flow is a simple, agile Git workflow promoted by GitHub, designed to support continuous delivery and rapid iteration. It is suitable for small teams and web application development, emphasizing frequent deployment and tight development cycle. In this article, we'll take a deep dive into GitHub Flow's features, benefits, and how to use it for an efficient development process.

2. Branch

GitHub Flow is the branching strategy used by GitHub. However, you don't have to use GitHub to use this branching strategy.

https://www.alexhyett.com/git-flow-github-flow/

GitHub Flow has only two main branches:

  • master: The main branch, which stores the code of the production environment.
  • feature or fix: feature or fix branch, used to develop new features or fix bugs.

For GitHub Flow, the general process is as follows:

  1. Create a feature branch: Create a new feature branch from the master branch, name it something descriptive like feature/add-login-page.
  2. Development and submission: Code development is carried out on the function branch, and the code is kept small and fast through frequent submissions. Make sure each commit is a logically complete change.
  3. Pull Request (PR): When the function development is completed and passed the local test, create a Pull Request (PR). Describe the goal and implementation method of the feature in a PR, and request code reviews from other team members.
  4. Code review: Team members review the code in the Pull Request. Code reviews help identify potential issues, make recommendations, and ensure code quality.
  5. Merge into master branch: After code review and passing tests, merge the changes from the feature branch back into the master branch.
  6. Deployment and release: Deploy the code of the master branch to the production environment for actual release.
  7. Deleting a feature branch: Once the changes from a feature branch have been successfully merged into the master branch and are no longer needed, the branch can be deleted.

3. Advantages and disadvantages

advantage:

  1. Simplicity: GitHub Flow is straightforward and easy to follow, making it suitable for small teams and projects employing continuous delivery practices.
  2. Continuous Delivery: Focus on continuous delivery, encouraging frequent deployments and rapid iterations.

limitation:

  1. Lack of version management: GitHub Flow does not explicitly handle version control and does not support maintaining multiple versions in production, which may be a limitation of some projects.
  2. Potential instability: Continuous delivery can lead to frequent deployments, which can introduce instability in the production environment.

GitHub Flow is a concise and agile Git workflow that emphasizes continuous delivery and frequent deployment. It is suitable for small teams and web application development, helping teams to deliver high-quality code quickly. By creating feature branches from the master branch, frequent commits, code reviews, and continuous deployment, GitHub Flow provides teams with an efficient and smooth development process. When teams pursue agile development, continuous delivery, and rapid iteration, GitHub Flow is a workflow option worth trying.

3. How to choose?

Git Flow is suitable for the following situations:

  • Your project requires explicit versioning and a formal release.
  • You need to maintain multiple versions in production.
  • Your team has experience managing multiple long-lived branches.

GitHub Flow is suitable for the following situations:

  • Your team practices continuous delivery and values ​​frequent deployments.
  • Your project is small and doesn't need explicit version control.
  • You place more emphasis on simplicity and an agile development process.

Choosing the right workflow depends on your team's actual needs and circumstances. Choose the workflow that works for your team based on project complexity, team size, and development style, and customize as needed. Remember, no one workflow works for all situations, and the key is to make informed decisions based on your team's own circumstances.


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Origin blog.csdn.net/citywu123/article/details/131892963