Git Branching

A branch is an independent line of development within a Git repository. It allows working on new features, bug fixes, or experiments in isolation without affecting the main codebase.

The default branch in a repository is typically called main (or master in older projects). Every other branch is created from this base.

Real-life analogy: Think of a tree. The trunk is the main, stable code. When starting work on a new feature, a new branch grows from the trunk. When the feature is complete and tested, the branch is merged back into the trunk.

main:    A ──── B ──── C ────────────────── G
                        \                  /
feature:                 D ──── E ──── F ──

Commits D, E, F are on the feature branch and do not affect main until they are merged.

Why Use Branches?

• Keep the main branch clean and always deployable
• Multiple developers can work on different features simultaneously
• Experiment with changes without breaking working code
• Fix bugs in production without interrupting feature development
• Each feature or fix gets its own isolated workspace

Branch Commands Overview

List All Local Branches

git branch

Output:

* main
  feature-login
  fix-header-bug

The * symbol shows the currently active branch.

List All Branches (Local + Remote)

git branch -a

List Remote Branches Only

git branch -r

Creating a Branch

git branch feature-login

Creates a new branch called feature-login but does NOT switch to it. The active branch remains the same.

Creating and Switching in One Step (Recommended)

# Modern syntax (Git 2.23+)
git switch -c feature-login

# Older syntax (still works)
git checkout -b feature-login

Both commands create a new branch and immediately switch to it.

Switching Between Branches

# Modern syntax
git switch main

# Older syntax
git checkout main

Full Branch Workflow Example

# Step 1: Confirm current position
git branch
# Output: * main

# Step 2: Create and switch to a new feature branch
git switch -c feature-contact-form

# Step 3: Work on the feature
echo "<form>...</form>" > contact.html
git add contact.html
git commit -m "Add contact form"

# Step 4: Continue developing
echo "form { margin: 20px; }" >> style.css
git add style.css
git commit -m "Style the contact form"

# Step 5: Switch back to main
git switch main

# Step 6: See that contact.html is NOT in main (it only exists on the branch)
ls
# index.html  about.html  (no contact.html here)

Renaming a Branch

# Rename the currently active branch
git branch -m new-name

# Rename a specific branch (while on a different branch)
git branch -m old-name new-name

Deleting a Branch

Delete a Merged Branch (Safe)

git branch -d feature-login

The -d flag only works if the branch has already been merged. This prevents accidental loss of unmerged work.

Force Delete an Unmerged Branch

git branch -D feature-login

The uppercase -D forces deletion even if the branch has not been merged. Use with caution — the unmerged work will be lost.

Pushing a Branch to GitHub

git push origin feature-login

Uploads the local branch to GitHub so others can see and collaborate on it.

Deleting a Remote Branch

git push origin --delete feature-login

Viewing Branch History

git log --oneline --graph --all

Shows a visual diagram of all commits and branches.

Branch Naming Conventions

Good branch names describe what the branch is for. Common conventions:

Summary

Branches let different work happen in parallel without interfering with the main codebase. The git switch -c branch-name command creates and switches to a new branch. After finishing the work on a branch, it is merged back into main. Always delete branches after merging to keep the repository clean.