Git Branching
Strategies

# GitFlow branch lifecycle

# Start a new feature from develop
git checkout develop
git pull origin develop
git checkout -b feature/user-authentication

# Work and commit on the feature branch
git add auth.js
git commit -m "add JWT token validation"
git add middleware.js
git commit -m "add auth middleware to protected routes"

# Open a PR to develop (review, CI runs)
gh pr create --base develop --title "Add user authentication"

# After approval — squash merge to keep history clean
git checkout develop
git merge --squash feature/user-authentication
git commit -m "feat: add user authentication (#42)"
git branch -d feature/user-authentication

# Release: develop ? release branch ? main + tag
git checkout -b release/v2.1.0
# QA testing... bump version, fix bugs...
git checkout main
git merge --no-ff release/v2.1.0
git tag -a v2.1.0 -m "Release v2.1.0"
git push origin main --tags

# Emergency hotfix directly from main
git checkout -b hotfix/xss-patch main
git commit -am "fix: sanitize user input in comment renderer"
git checkout main
git merge --no-ff hotfix/xss-patch
git checkout develop
git merge --no-ff hotfix/xss-patch

// Feature flags — the trunk-based alternative to long-lived branches
// Commit directly to main, hide in-progress work behind a flag

const flags = {
  newCheckout: process.env.FF_NEW_CHECKOUT === 'true',
  aiRecommendations: process.env.FF_AI_REC === 'true',
  darkMode: true,
};

// In your route/component
app.get('/checkout', (req, res) => {
  if (flags.newCheckout) {
    return newCheckoutHandler(req, res);
  }
  return legacyCheckoutHandler(req, res);
});

// Production: deploy to 1% of users first
function isEnabled(flag, userId) {
  const bucket = userId % 100;
  return flag.rollout > bucket;
}

// Trunk-based workflow
# Every developer pushes to main (or a short-lived branch < 1 day)
# CI must be fast (< 5 min) — every push must stay green
# Feature flags gate incomplete work from users
# No long-lived branches ? no merge conflicts
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add cart count badge [behind FF_CART_BADGE]"
git push origin main  # triggers CI ? auto-deploy to staging