Time required to address nearly all Git requirements: 8 minutes
In the realm of software development, GitHub and GitLab have become essential tools for managing code repositories. This article provides a streamlined process for efficiently pushing work after creating a branch and making local changes.
1. Creating and Switching to a New Branch Locally
To start work on a new feature branch, use the command . This command creates and switches to your feature branch based on the main or develop branch, depending on your workflow.
2. Committing Changes Locally
Stage and commit your work using and . Regular checkpoints help keep your development organised and easily traceable.
3. Pushing the Branch to the Remote Repository for the First Time
Push your new branch with . The sets upstream tracking, making future pushes simpler with just .
4. Synchronizing Your Branch with the Main Integration Branch
Before pushing ongoing work, pull or fetch updates from the main branch (e.g., main or develop) and rebase your branch on top of it to keep your changes up to date and reduce conflicts.
Rebasing (recommended over merging for a cleaner history) reapplies your commits on the latest codebase. Be cautious when force-pushing shared branches; if you rebase and push, use to prevent overwriting others’ changes.
5. Pushing Your Rebased Changes to the Remote Branch
Use or if rebased, use to update the remote branch safely.
6. Creating a Merge or Pull Request for Review and Integration
Once your feature is ready, open a pull/merge request on GitHub or GitLab to initiate code review. GitHub emphasises rapid feature branch merges, keeping the main branch always deployable. GitLab offers a more structured workflow with stages of testing and multiple stable branches if your project demands more reliability.
7. Merging the Feature Branch
Merge your branch via the platform UI into main or develop. Optionally, after merging, delete the feature branch locally and remotely to keep the repository clean.
Summary of Key Commands
| Step | Command Example | Notes | |-------------------------|----------------------------------------|-------------------------------| | Create & switch branch | | Starts work on new branch | | Commit changes | then | Regular checkpoints | | Push new branch | | Sets upstream for easier pushes| | Synchronize (rebase) | | Keeps branch up to date | | Push rebased branch | | Safely force push if rebased | | Create PR/MR | Use GitHub/GitLab UI | For review and merging |
Following these steps balances efficiency and stability, aligning with modern GitHub/GitLab workflows and best practices. Use rebasing before pushing to reduce merge conflicts, but communicate and coordinate with your team when force-pushing rebased branches. For GitHub, the Fast, Feature-focused GitHub Flow suits smaller Agile teams. For GitLab, a more conservative, multi-branch testing GitLab Flow is common.
If you want detailed branching strategy recommendations, GitFlow with clearly defined , , and feature branches is popular and can be adapted depending on your deployment cadence. For further guidance, consult resources dedicated to Git branching strategies.
- After committing local changes, consider showcasing your gadgets, such as smartphones or tablets, to demonstrate their new functionalities by using them to access and interact with the updated code.
- To further organize and optimize your workflow, integrate your coding process with technology like GitHub and GitLab, utilizing their collaborative features like forking, merging, and pull requests.
