Git Branches

A branch is a movable pointer to a commit in a Git repository. It provides an independent development path for your work.

main
  |
  A → B → C

The branch name points to the latest commit in that development line.

Branches allow developers to work on different tasks without mixing changes unnecessarily.

• Develop new features
• Fix bugs
• Experiment with ideas
• Prepare releases
• Work with other developers
• Keep different development tasks separated

The main development branch is commonly named main. Some older repositories may use master.

main
 |
 A → B → C

The exact branch name is determined by the repository configuration and workflow.

A branch is not a complete copy of the entire repository. Git stores a branch as a reference pointing to a commit.

main → C

When a new commit is created on that branch, the branch pointer moves forward.

Use the following command to list local branches:

git branch

The current branch is normally marked with an asterisk (*).

$ git branch

* main
  feature-login
  bug-fix

In this example, main is the currently checked-out branch.

Use git branch followed by a branch name to create a new branch.

git branch feature-login

This creates the branch but does not automatically switch to it.

You can create a branch and switch to it using:

git switch -c feature-login

The -c option tells Git to create the branch before switching to it.

Use:

git branch --show-current

This displays the name of the current branch.

feature-login

A → B → C
         ↑
        main

If you create a new branch at commit C, both branches initially point to the same commit.

A → B → C
         ↑
       main
         ↑
      feature

After switching to a branch, make changes and commit them normally.

git switch feature-login

git add .
git commit -m "Add login feature"

The new commit is added to the current branch.

        C → D
       /
A → B
       \
        E → F

Different branches can develop different commits after they diverge from a common commit.

Use git switch to move to another branch.

git switch main

git switch feature-login


Git updates the working tree to match the selected branch.

The older command for switching branches is:

git checkout feature-login

Modern Git provides git switch specifically for changing branches, while git checkout also has other historical uses.

To list local and remote-tracking branches:

git branch -a

This can display branches such as:

* main
  feature-login
  remotes/origin/main
  remotes/origin/feature-login

You can display branch names together with their latest commit using:

git branch -v

This is useful when you want to quickly inspect the current state of local branches.

Choose branch names that clearly describe the work.

feature-login
fix-navbar
add-payment
update-homepage

Clear names make collaborative projects easier to understand.

A feature branch is commonly used for developing a new feature.

git switch -c feature-login

You can develop and commit the feature without making those commits directly on the main branch.

A separate branch can be used to fix a problem in an application.

git switch -c fix-login-error

After completing the fix, the branch can later be merged into the appropriate development branch.

A local branch that is no longer needed can be deleted using:

git branch -d feature-login

Git normally prevents deletion with -d when it detects that the branch contains commits that have not been merged.

The -D option forces deletion of a local branch.

git branch -D feature-login

To rename the current branch:

git branch -m new-name

For example:

git branch -m feature-auth

HEAD identifies the commit or branch that Git is currently using.

HEAD → main → C

When you switch to another branch:

HEAD → feature-login → D

HEAD now refers to the selected branch.

When you switch branches, Git updates tracked files in the working tree according to the selected branch.

git switch main

git switch feature-login


This allows each branch to have its own committed version of the
project.

Use git status to see the current branch and working tree state.

git status

Example:

On branch feature-login
nothing to commit, working tree clean

• Creating changes on the wrong branch.
• Forgetting to check the current branch.
• Using unclear branch names.
• Deleting a branch before checking its commits.
• Switching branches with uncommitted changes without understanding the result.
• Accidentally committing feature work directly to the main branch.

git branch
git branch --show-current
git branch -a
git branch -v
git branch feature-login
git switch feature-login
git switch -c feature-login
git branch -d feature-login
git branch -D feature-login
git branch -m new-name

# Check current branch
git branch

# Create and switch to a feature branch
git switch -c feature-login

# Make changes
# Stage changes
git add .

# Commit changes
git commit -m "Add login feature"

# Check branches
git branch

git init

git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

git switch -c feature-homepage

# Make homepage changes

git add .
git commit -m "Create homepage feature"

git switch main

git branch

Here, the homepage work is developed separately from the main branch.

Git branches provide separate development paths inside a repository. They allow developers to work on features, fixes, and experiments without directly mixing every change into the main branch.

git branch
git switch -c feature-name
git switch main

After creating and working on a branch, it can later be merged into another branch using Git's merge functionality.