Version control is a cornerstone of modern software development, and Git is the most widely used tool for managing codebases. But using Git effectively requires more than just knowing a few commands.

In this guide, you'll learn best practices that improve your workflow, reduce conflicts, and make collaboration smoother.

✅1. Use Meaningful Commit Messages

A good commit message should answer:

• What change was made?
• Why was it made?

Bad:

git commit -m "fixed stuff"

Good:

git commit -m "Fix navbar overlap issue on mobile view"

Prefixing messages with context helps:

• feat: for new features
• fix: for bug fixes
• refactor: for internal code changes

Example:

git commit -m "feat(auth): add password reset endpoint"

---

🌿2. Follow a Branching Strategy

Don't work directly on the main or master branch. Use one of the following strategies:

• Feature Branch Workflow:

  • main: production
  • dev: integration/testing
  • feature/feature-name: isolated development

• GitFlow (for larger teams/projects):

  • develop, release, hotfix, and feature branches

---

🔄3. Rebase Before Merging

Rebasing keeps your commit history linear and clean.

git checkout feature-branch
git pull origin main --rebase

Use merge when collaboration history matters, but prefer rebase for solo cleanup before merging.

---

👥4. Collaborate Using Pull Requests

• Create small, focused PRs.
• Link related issues.
• Write clear descriptions.
• Review others’ code and leave constructive comments.

---

🧪5. Test Before Pushing

Always run tests or linter tools before pushing:

npm test
eslint . --fix

Use pre-commit hooks like Husky to automate checks.

---

🔐6. Don't Commit Secrets

Use .gitignore to exclude .env, config files, and large media.

Add .env to .gitignore:

.env

Use tools like GitGuardian to detect exposed secrets.

---

🧹7. Clean Up Stale Branches

Remove branches that are merged or no longer needed:

git branch -d feature/old-branch
git push origin --delete feature/old-branch

---

🧠Final Thoughts

Mastering Git is more than knowing commands — it’s about discipline and clarity in your development workflow.

Treat your repository like a shared workspace. Clean code starts with clean version control.