Branch Strategy

Main Branches

main (or master) Branch

• The production-ready code.
• Only contains thoroughly tested and stable code.
• Direct commits are restricted; only allowed through pull requests (PRs) after code review and approval.

develop Branch

• The latest codebase reflecting the current state of development.
• All features and fixes are integrated into this branch before being merged into main.
• Serves as a base for all new feature branches.

Supporting Branches

Feature Branches

• Naming Convention: Feature/<feature-name>
• Created from: develop
• Purpose: For developing new features or enhancements.
• Merging: Once complete and tested, merge back into develop.

Bugfix Branches

• Naming Convention: Bug/<issue-id>
• Created from: develop (or release if the fix is for an upcoming release)
• Purpose: For fixing bugs identified during development.
• Merging: Merge back into develop (or release if applicable) once fixed.

Release Branches

• Naming Convention: Release/<version-number>
• Created from: develop
• Purpose: To prepare for a new production release.
• Activities: Final testing, bug fixing, and preparing release notes.
• Merging: Merge into both main and develop once ready.

Hotfix Branches

• Naming Convention: Hotfix/<issue-id>
• Created from: main
• Purpose: For urgent fixes that need to go directly into production.
• Merging: Merge into both main and develop once applied.

Branch Workflow

1. Feature Development:

• Create a branch from develop using Feature/<feature-name>.
• Implement the feature, commit changes, and push the branch to the repository.
• Open a pull request to merge the feature branch into develop.
• Conduct code reviews, perform necessary tests, and merge the changes into develop.

2. Bug Fixing:

• Create a branch from develop using Bug/<issue-id>.
• Fix the bug, commit changes, and push the branch.
• Open a pull request to merge the Bug branch into develop.
• After reviews and tests, merge the changes into develop.

3. Release Preparation:

• Create a branch from develop using Release/<version-number>.
• Perform final testing, fix any last-minute bugs, and update documentation.
• Merge the release branch into both main and develop once ready.

4. Hotfixes:

• Create a branch from main using Hotfix/<issue-id>.
• Apply the fix, commit changes, and push the branch.
• Open a pull request to merge the hotfix branch into main.
• Merge changes into develop to include the fix in ongoing development.

Best Practices

Regular Merges: Merge develop into feature branches regularly to stay updated and avoid integration issues.

Code Reviews: Conduct mandatory code reviews before merging any branch to ensure quality and adherence to standards.

Automated Testing: Implement continuous integration with automated testing to catch issues early and maintain code quality.

Documentation: Keep all changes well-documented, including comments in code, update logs, and comprehensive commit messages.