Gitflow is a branching model for Git, a version control system used for software development. It's a way of organizing and managing branches in a Git repository. The main idea of Gitflow is to separate the different stages of development and keep the main branch, usually "master"(or "main"), always in a releasable state.
The Gitflow branching model includes the following branches:
master
ormain
: This branch represents the production-ready code. Only release versions of the code are merged into this branch.develop
: This branch represents the current development state. All feature branches are merged into this branch.feature/*
: These branches are used to develop new features. They are created from thedevelop
branch and are merged back into it when the feature is complete.release/*
: These branches are used to prepare a release. They are created from thedevelop
branch and are merged intomaster
anddevelop
when the release is ready.hotfix/*
: These branches are used to quickly fix production bugs. They are created from themaster
branch and are merged intomaster
anddevelop
when the hotfix is complete.
The Gitflow model provides a clear and consistent way to manage branches, track changes, and collaborate with other developers. It also helps to keep the development process organized and efficient, allowing developers to work on new features, bug fixes, and releases in parallel.