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Branches in git ​

Branches in git ​

Branches are a way to work on different versions of a project at the same time. They allow you to create a separate line of development that can be worked on independently of the main branch. This can be useful when you want to make changes to a project without affecting the main branch or when you want to work on a new feature or bug fix.

Some developers can work on Header, some can work on Footer, some can work on Content, and some can work on Layout. This is a good example of how branches can be used in git.

the default branch used to be master, but it is now called main. There is nothing special about main, it is just a convention.

Creating a new branch ​

To create a new branch, you can use the following command:

bash
git branch
git branch bug-fix
git switch bug-fix
git log
git switch master
git switch -c dark-mode
git checkout orange-mode

Some points to note:

  • git branch - This command lists all the branches in the current repository.
  • git branch bug-fix - This command creates a new branch called bug-fix.
  • git switch bug-fix - This command switches to the bug-fix branch.
  • git log - This command shows the commit history for the current branch.
  • git switch master - This command switches to the master branch.
  • git switch -c dark-mode - This command creates a new branch called dark-mode. the -c flag is used to create a new branch.
  • git checkout orange-mode - This command switches to the orange-mode branch.
  • Commit before switching to a branch
  • Go to .git folder and checkout to the HEAD file

Merging branches ​

Fast-forward merge ​

This one is easy as branch that you are trying to merge is usually ahead and there are no conflicts.

When you are done working on a branch, you can merge it back into the main branch. This is done using the following command:

bash
git checkout main
git merge bug-fix

Some points to note:

  • git checkout main - This command switches to the main branch.
  • git merge bug-fix - This command merges the bug-fix branch into the main branch.

This is a fast-forward merge. It means that the commits in the bug-fix branch are directly merged into the main branch. This can be useful when you want to merge a branch that has already been pushed to the remote repository.

Not fast-forward merge ​

In this type of merge, the master branch also worked and have some commits that are not in the bug-fix branch. This is a not fast-forward merge.

When you are done working on a branch, you can merge it back into the main branch. This is done using the following command:

bash
git checkout main
git merge bug-fix

If the command are same, what is the difference between fast-forward and not fast-forward merge?

The difference is resolving the conflicts. In a fast-forward merge, there are no conflicts. But in a not fast-forward merge, there are conflicts, and there are no shortcuts to resolve them. You have to manually resolve the conflicts. Decide, what to keep and what to discard. VSCode has a built-in merge tool that can help you resolve the conflicts.

Managing conflicts ​

There is no magic button to resolve conflicts. You have to manually resolve the conflicts. Decide, what to keep and what to discard. VSCode has a built-in merge tool that can help you resolve the conflicts. I personally use VSCode merge tool. Github also has a merge tool that can help you resolve the conflicts but most of the time I handle them in VSCode and it gives me all the options to resolve the conflicts.

Overall it sounds scary to beginners but it is not, it’s all about communication and understanding the code situation with your team members.

Rename a branch ​

You can rename a branch using the following command:

bash
git branch -m <old-branch-name> <new-branch-name>

Delete a branch ​

You can delete a branch using the following command:

bash
git branch -d <branch-name>

Checkout a branch ​

You can checkout a branch using the following command:

bash
git checkout <branch-name>

List all branches ​

You can list all branches using the following command:

bash
git branch

List all branches means that you are going to see all the branches in your repository.