# Git Best Practices

## Workflow & Branching

### Git Flow Strategy
- **Main Branch**: Always deployable, production-ready code
- **Develop Branch**: Integration branch for features
- **Feature Branches**: Individual features developed in isolation
- **Release Branches**: Prepare releases and bug fixes
- **Hotfix Branches**: Critical fixes for production issues

### Branch Naming Conventions
- **Feature branches**: `feature/description` or `feature/ticket-number`
- **Bug fix branches**: `bugfix/description` or `fix/ticket-number`
- **Hotfix branches**: `hotfix/description` or `hotfix/version`
- **Release branches**: `release/version-number`

### Merge Strategies
- **Merge Commits**: Preserve branch history for important features
- **Squash and Merge**: Clean history for small features
- **Rebase and Merge**: Linear history without merge commits
- **Fast-Forward**: When possible, for simple updates

## Commit Best Practices

### Commit Message Format
```
<type>(<scope>): <subject>

<body>

<footer>
```

### Commit Types
- **feat**: New feature
- **fix**: Bug fix
- **docs**: Documentation changes
- **style**: Code style changes (formatting, etc.)
- **refactor**: Code refactoring
- **test**: Adding or updating tests
- **chore**: Maintenance tasks

### Writing Good Commit Messages
- **Subject Line**: Clear, concise summary (50 characters or less)
- **Imperative Mood**: Use imperative mood ("Add feature" not "Added feature")
- **Body**: Explain what and why, not how (wrap at 72 characters)
- **Footer**: Reference issues, breaking changes, etc.

### Atomic Commits
- **Single Purpose**: Each commit should represent one logical change
- **Complete**: Commit should not break the build
- **Reviewable**: Commits should be easy to review and understand
- **Revertible**: Each commit should be safely revertible

## Code Review Process

### Pull Request Guidelines
- **Clear Description**: Explain what changes were made and why
- **Small Changes**: Keep PRs focused and reasonably sized
- **Test Coverage**: Include tests for new functionality
- **Documentation**: Update documentation as needed

### Review Checklist
- **Functionality**: Does the code work as intended?
- **Code Quality**: Is the code clean, readable, and maintainable?
- **Performance**: Are there any performance implications?
- **Security**: Are there any security concerns?
- **Tests**: Are there adequate tests for the changes?

### Review Etiquette
- **Constructive Feedback**: Focus on the code, not the person
- **Explain Reasoning**: Provide context for suggestions
- **Ask Questions**: Seek to understand before criticizing
- **Acknowledge Good Work**: Recognize well-written code

## Repository Management

### Repository Structure
```
project/
├── .gitignore          # Files to ignore
├── README.md           # Project documentation
├── CONTRIBUTING.md     # Contribution guidelines
├── LICENSE             # License information
├── src/                # Source code
├── tests/              # Test files
├── docs/               # Documentation
└── scripts/            # Build and deployment scripts
```

### .gitignore Best Practices
- **Language-Specific**: Include common files for your programming language
- **IDE Files**: Ignore IDE-specific configuration files
- **Build Artifacts**: Ignore compiled code and build outputs
- **Secrets**: Never commit passwords, API keys, or other secrets
- **OS Files**: Ignore OS-specific files (.DS_Store, Thumbs.db)

### Tagging & Releases
- **Semantic Versioning**: Use semver (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
- **Annotated Tags**: Use annotated tags for releases
- **Release Notes**: Document changes in each release
- **Changelog**: Maintain a changelog for the project

## Advanced Git Techniques

### Interactive Rebase
- **Squash Commits**: Combine multiple commits into one
- **Edit Commits**: Modify commit messages or content
- **Reorder Commits**: Change the order of commits
- **Split Commits**: Break one commit into multiple commits

### Useful Git Commands
```bash
# Interactive rebase
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# Stash changes
git stash push -m "Work in progress"
git stash pop

# Cherry-pick commits
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>

# Find when a bug was introduced
git bisect start
git bisect bad
git bisect good <commit-hash>

# Show file history
git log --follow <filename>

# Blame/annotate
git blame <filename>
```

### Conflict Resolution
- **Understand the Conflict**: Read both versions carefully
- **Communicate**: Discuss with other developers if needed
- **Test After Resolution**: Ensure the merge works correctly
- **Use Merge Tools**: Leverage visual merge tools when helpful

## Security & Best Practices

### Protecting Sensitive Information
- **Never Commit Secrets**: Use environment variables or secret management
- **Git Hooks**: Use pre-commit hooks to scan for secrets
- **History Cleaning**: Use tools like BFG Repo-Cleaner if secrets are committed
- **Access Controls**: Limit repository access appropriately

### Backup & Recovery
- **Multiple Remotes**: Use multiple remote repositories
- **Regular Backups**: Backup important repositories regularly
- **Recovery Procedures**: Document how to recover from various scenarios
- **Distributed Nature**: Leverage Git's distributed nature for redundancy

### Performance Optimization
- **Large Files**: Use Git LFS for large binary files
- **Repository Size**: Keep repositories reasonably sized
- **Shallow Clones**: Use shallow clones for CI/CD when appropriate
- **Garbage Collection**: Regular git gc to optimize repository

## Team Collaboration

### Workflow Coordination
- **Clear Conventions**: Establish and document team conventions
- **Regular Communication**: Keep team informed of significant changes
- **Conflict Prevention**: Coordinate on overlapping work areas
- **Knowledge Sharing**: Share Git knowledge and best practices

### Code Integration
- **Continuous Integration**: Integrate changes frequently
- **Automated Testing**: Run tests on all branches
- **Code Quality Gates**: Enforce quality standards before merging
- **Deployment Automation**: Automate deployment from main branch

### Documentation
- **README Files**: Keep project documentation up to date
- **Commit History**: Use commit history as documentation
- **Architecture Decisions**: Document significant architectural changes
- **Onboarding**: Provide clear instructions for new team members
