Gitflow workflow - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the main purpose of the Gitflow workflow?

Gitflow workflow helps teams manage feature development, releases, and bug fixes in an organized way using separate branches.

beginner

Name the two main branches in Gitflow that always exist.

The two main branches are main (or master) for production-ready code and develop for ongoing development.

beginner

What is the role of a feature branch in Gitflow?

A feature branch is used to develop a new feature. It branches off from develop and merges back into develop when done.

intermediate

Explain what a release branch is used for in Gitflow.

A release branch prepares code for production. It allows final testing and fixes before merging into main and develop.

intermediate

How does the hotfix branch work in Gitflow?

Hotfix branches fix urgent bugs in production. They branch from main, fix the issue, then merge back into both main and develop.

Which branch do you create a feature branch from in Gitflow?

A main

B develop

C release

D hotfix

Feature branches always start from the develop branch to keep new features separate from production.

What is the purpose of the release branch?

A To develop new features

B To store archived code

C To fix urgent bugs in production

D To prepare code for production with final testing

Release branches allow final testing and fixes before merging code into main for production.

After finishing a hotfix, where should you merge the changes?

A Both main and develop

B Only main

C Only develop

D Only feature branch

Hotfix changes must go into both main (production) and develop (ongoing development) branches.

Which branch always contains production-ready code?

A develop

B feature

C main

D release

The main branch holds the stable, production-ready code.

When do you delete a feature branch in Gitflow?

A After merging it into develop

B After merging it into main

C Before starting work

D Never

Feature branches are deleted after merging into develop to keep the repository clean.

Describe the main branches and their roles in the Gitflow workflow.

Think about which branch holds stable code and which one holds new work.

Explain how feature, release, and hotfix branches work together in Gitflow.

Consider the flow from development to production and urgent fixes.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the develop branch in the Gitflow workflow?

easy

A. It serves as the integration branch for features before release.

B. It contains the production-ready code only.

C. It is used to fix urgent bugs directly in production.

D. It stores experimental code that is not stable.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of the develop branch

   The develop branch is where all completed features are merged and tested together before release.

2. Step 2: Compare with other branches

   The master branch holds production-ready code, hotfix branches fix urgent bugs, and experimental code is not part of Gitflow standard branches.

3. Final Answer:

   It serves as the integration branch for features before release. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Develop = integration branch [OK]

Hint: Develop branch integrates features before release [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing develop with master branch
• Thinking develop is for hotfixes
• Assuming develop holds only stable code

2. Which command correctly starts a new feature branch named login using Gitflow?

easy

A. git flow start feature login

B. git flow feature start login

C. git start feature login

D. git feature start login

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Gitflow feature start syntax

   The correct syntax to start a feature branch is git flow feature start <name>.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   Only git flow feature start login matches the correct syntax exactly. Others have incorrect order or missing 'flow'.

3. Final Answer:

   git flow feature start login -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Feature start = git flow feature start [OK]

Hint: Use 'git flow feature start <name>' to start features [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting 'flow' in the command
• Swapping command word order
• Using 'git start' instead of 'git flow feature start'

3. Given the commands below, what is the final branch after finishing a release?

git flow release start 1.0.0
git flow release finish 1.0.0

medium

A. The branch is switched to master.

B. The branch is switched to develop.

C. The branch remains on release/1.0.0.

D. The branch is switched to feature/1.0.0.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what 'git flow release finish' does

   This command merges the release branch into both master and develop, tags the release, and deletes the release branch.

2. Step 2: Identify the branch after finishing release

   After finishing, Gitflow switches to master branch by default.

3. Final Answer:

   The branch is switched to master. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Release finish switches to master [OK]

Hint: Release finish merges and switches to master [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming branch stays on release
• Thinking it switches to develop
• Confusing feature branches with release

4. You ran git flow feature finish login but your changes are not in develop. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. You forgot to push the develop branch after finishing the feature.

B. You did not commit changes before finishing the feature.

C. You started the feature branch from master instead of develop.

D. You finished the feature on the master branch.

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall feature branch base in Gitflow

   Feature branches should start from develop to ensure changes merge back there.

2. Step 2: Analyze why changes are missing in develop

   If the feature branch was started from master, finishing it merges changes into master, not develop, causing missing updates in develop.

3. Final Answer:

   You started the feature branch from master instead of develop. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Feature base must be develop [OK]

Hint: Feature branches must start from develop [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming finishing auto-pushes changes
• Not committing before finishing
• Confusing master and develop as base

5. Your team wants to prepare a hotfix for a critical bug in production while a release is in progress. According to Gitflow, which sequence of commands correctly handles this situation?

hard

A. git flow hotfix start fix-bug; git flow release finish; git flow hotfix finish fix-bug

B. git flow release finish; git flow hotfix start fix-bug; git flow hotfix finish fix-bug

C. git flow feature start fix-bug; git flow feature finish fix-bug

D. git flow hotfix start fix-bug; git flow hotfix finish fix-bug

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand hotfix purpose in Gitflow

   Hotfix branches are created from master to quickly fix production bugs, independent of ongoing releases.

2. Step 2: Check command sequence for hotfix

   Starting and finishing a hotfix with git flow hotfix start and git flow hotfix finish is the correct way, regardless of release status.

3. Step 3: Evaluate options

   git flow hotfix start fix-bug; git flow hotfix finish fix-bug correctly starts and finishes the hotfix. git flow release finish; git flow hotfix start fix-bug; git flow hotfix finish fix-bug delays hotfix until release finishes, which is not required. git flow feature start fix-bug; git flow feature finish fix-bug uses feature instead of hotfix. git flow hotfix start fix-bug; git flow release finish; git flow hotfix finish fix-bug incorrectly mixes release finish before hotfix finish.

4. Final Answer:

   git flow hotfix start fix-bug; git flow hotfix finish fix-bug -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Hotfix runs independently during release [OK]

Hint: Hotfix branches start and finish independently from release [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Waiting for release to finish before hotfix
• Using feature branch for hotfix
• Finishing release before hotfix finish