ABOUTME: Git conventional commit format and version control best practices
ABOUTME: Commit message standards, branch strategies, workflow patterns
Source Control
Quick Reference
git commit -m "feat: add user authentication"
git checkout -b feat/user-auth
git fetch origin && git rebase origin/main
git stash && git stash pop
Conventional Commits
Format: <type>(<scope>): <subject> (scope/body/footer optional)
| Type | Use |
|---|---|
feat | New feature |
fix | Bug fix |
docs | Documentation |
style | Formatting |
refactor | Code restructure |
perf | Performance |
test | Tests |
chore | Maintenance |
ci | CI/CD |
build | Build system |
revert | Revert commit |
Rules: Imperative mood, present tense, lowercase, no period, max 50 chars
# Good
git commit -m "feat(auth): add JWT validation"
git commit -m "fix: resolve race condition"
# Bad
git commit -m "Fixed stuff" # Not conventional
git commit -m "Feat: Add thing" # Capital letter
Commit Process
-
Check state:
git status && git diff HEAD && git branch --show-current && git log --oneline -5 -
Verify NOT on main/master (abort if so, unless authorized)
-
Stage specific files (never
git add -A):git add <specific-files> -
Commit with conventional format:
git commit -m "<type>(<scope>): <subject>"
Branch Naming
| Type | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Feature | feat/user-auth, feature/dashboard |
| Fix | fix/login-bug, bugfix/api-error |
| Hotfix | hotfix/security-patch |
| Chore | chore/update-deps |
Workflow
# Start feature
git checkout main && git pull origin main
git checkout -b feat/user-auth
# Keep up to date
git fetch origin && git rebase origin/main
# After PR merged
git checkout main && git pull
git branch -d feat/user-auth
| Use | When |
|---|---|
| Rebase | Keep feature branch current, clean linear history |
| Merge | Integrate to main (via PR), preserve history |
Recovery
| Situation | Command |
|---|---|
| Undo last commit (keep changes) | git reset --soft HEAD~1 |
| Undo staged files | git reset HEAD <file> |
| Discard file changes | git checkout -- <file> |
| Recover deleted branch | git reflog then git checkout -b <branch> <sha> |
| Amend last commit | git commit --amend -m "new message" |
| Revert pushed commit | git revert <sha> |
Conflicts
Resolve: git status to see conflicts, edit files to remove markers, git add <resolved>, then git rebase --continue (or git merge --continue). Use git rebase --abort to bail out.
Hooks
Pre-commit: .git/hooks/pre-commit -- run linters, formatters, tests per language.
Commit-msg: Validate conventional format (commitlint, husky, lefthook).
Best Practices
| DO | DON'T |
|---|---|
| Conventional commits | Generic messages ("fix", "update") |
| Small, logical commits | Huge unrelated changes |
| Run tests before commit | Push broken code |
| Use branches | Commit to main directly |
--force-with-lease | --force on shared branches |
Resources
- https://www.conventionalcommits.org/
- https://git-scm.com/doc
- Tools: commitlint, husky, lefthook