There are numerous ways to interact with your team using Git. When dealing with Git, keep the following principles in mind. This Git can be used by a small group of two to 10 engineers. There are many Git practices available on the web like opensource, StackOverflow, or many blogs like this. We will discuss “Git Best Practices” in this article.
Git Commits : Small & Frequent.
You can commit code whenever you make a single logical change. Frequent commit enables you to construct succinct yet informative commit statements. It will also give important significance to others who may be reading your code.
Small Git Commit also makes handling malfunctions or other negative issues much more accessible.
Here are several indicators that you are not contributing enough.
In a single commit, you change more than 500 lines of a file. This is not a good practice. It would help if you tried to commit only a few lines of code in a single commit.
Commit Messages are to be semantic.
Each commit message can describe why the code has to be updated in the first place. Or, at the appropriate degree of detail, what has been changed.
When someone asks if a line of code has been added or changed, the commit message should be clear.
Here are several coding indicators that you’ve written a wrong commit message:
- The commit message is only three words long.
- Your commit message is far too general.
Use of Branches: Git Best Practices
When you make many related commits, they all belong to a separate branch. One of the most noticeable features of git branches is the Pull Requests, making it simple to address a list of changes before merging back into the main git branch.
The use of branches emphasizes the significance of merging into the main git branch. It allows you to examine all of the final changes while also examining work-in-progress contributions. This also guarantees that the main branch remains ready to go, with no broken code.
Make sure you execute git frequently pull while working on a git branch. As a result, your branch is not left behind, and the likelihood of merging conflicts is reduced.
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One branch – One feature
The feature branch’s notion is that all new functionality should be placed on a separate dedicated branch rather than the main branch. This technique ensures that incomplete code is never present in the main branch, which is a massive benefit in continuous integration settings.
As a result, you may create a new branch for a single new feature. Once you’ve finished your work, submit a pull request and integrate the modifications into the main branch. You may repeat the procedure by creating a new feature branch for the following feature.
You can do a lot with a one-branch-one-feature method.
- Because you are just dealing with one feature, a code review will be simple.
- You remain focused and productive because you only do one thing at a time.
- Because of minor modifications, it aids another developer’s understanding of the code.
Handle Merge properly: Git Best Practices
Each team member is assigned to a distinct function branch. Regardless of whether additional branches are in use, they will all unavoidably modify particular identical files. When merging the changes back to the main branch, the merge is not always immediate. Human contact may be necessary to reconcile the modifications made by the two authors in the same file.
In new contemporary editors, several capabilities facilitate Git merge conflicts. They display the various combining possibilities in each part of the file. If your code editor does not support those features, it may be time to upgrade.
Single repository: Git Best Practices
Large teams may benefit from having several project repositories, libraries, and so forth. For groups of fewer than ten people, I generally keep all of the code required to run the entire product in a single repo.
This enables the software to be managed and delivered as a single unit. Internal programs that are reused between projects should be made available using package management, for example.
There are several benefits to using a single repository for a small team.
- Your code will remain consistent.
- Refactoring is becoming less expensive.
Here are two reasons that you might consider, as it requires several repositories for your product.
- Assume your product isn’t completely open source. Some code/libraries may need to be kept in different repositories.
- Similarly, if your product includes client work, it should be kept in a separate repository.
Use tags: Git Best Practices
When you release the code, you and your team can utilize tags. Although a branch collects a history of commit-related changes, the tag is a snapshot of the branch’s current state.
A tag is analogous to a strong branch. Tags, unlike branches, do not have extra commit history once they are created.
There are several benefits to utilizing tags with your release.
- Git allows you to keep track of the version number of your project.
- It also allows you to compare the differences between the two releases.
- Git enables you to keep track of project release notes, which are helpful to your team and stakeholders.
Summary
I hope these Git best practices for small teams assist you in efficiently using Git in your organization.
Git is a sophisticated technology that requires time to master. You and your teams can use Git effectively if you follow these guidelines.
