Gitflow workflow - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Gitflow workflow

Start: master branch

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Create develop branch

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Feature branch created from develop

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Feature development

↓

Merge feature into develop

↓

Create release branch from develop

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Test and fix release

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Merge release into master and develop

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Tag release on master

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Create hotfix branch from master if needed

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Fix hotfix

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Merge hotfix into master and develop

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Tag hotfix on master

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End

This flow shows how Gitflow organizes work by branching from master to develop, then feature branches, release branches, and hotfixes, merging back in a controlled way.

Execution Sample

Git

git checkout -b develop master
# Create develop branch from master

git checkout -b feature/login develop
# Start feature branch

git commit -m "Add login feature"
# Work on feature

git checkout develop

git merge feature/login
# Merge feature back to develop

This code shows creating develop from master, making a feature branch, committing work, and merging the feature back to develop.

Process Table

Step	Command	Branch Created/Checked Out	Action	Resulting Branch State
1	git checkout -b develop master	develop	Create develop branch from master	develop branch created, points to master commit
2	git checkout -b feature/login develop	feature/login	Create feature branch from develop	feature/login branch created, points to develop commit
3	git commit -m "Add login feature"	feature/login	Add commit to feature branch	feature/login advanced by one commit
4	git checkout develop	develop	Switch back to develop branch	HEAD on develop branch
5	git merge feature/login	develop	Merge feature branch into develop	develop branch updated with feature commits
6	git checkout -b release/1.0 develop	release/1.0	Create release branch from develop	release/1.0 branch created for final testing
7	git commit -m "Fix bugs"	release/1.0	Fix bugs on release branch	release/1.0 advanced by bug fix commits
8	git checkout master	master	Switch to master branch	HEAD on master branch
9	git merge release/1.0	master	Merge release into master	master updated with release changes
10	git tag -a v1.0 -m "Release 1.0"	master	Tag release on master	Tag v1.0 created on master
11	git checkout develop	develop	Switch to develop branch	HEAD on develop branch
12	git merge release/1.0	develop	Merge release back into develop	develop updated with release fixes
13	git checkout -b hotfix/1.0.1 master	hotfix/1.0.1	Create hotfix branch from master	hotfix branch created for urgent fix
14	git commit -m "Fix critical bug"	hotfix/1.0.1	Fix bug on hotfix branch	hotfix branch advanced by fix commit
15	git checkout master	master	Switch to master branch	HEAD on master branch
16	git merge hotfix/1.0.1	master	Merge hotfix into master	master updated with hotfix
17	git tag -a v1.0.1 -m "Hotfix 1.0.1"	master	Tag hotfix on master	Tag v1.0.1 created on master
18	git checkout develop	develop	Switch to develop branch	HEAD on develop branch
19	git merge hotfix/1.0.1	develop	Merge hotfix into develop	develop updated with hotfix
20	-	-	-	Workflow cycle complete, ready for next feature

💡 Workflow cycle complete after merging hotfix back to develop and tagging master

Status Tracker

Branch	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 5	After Step 6	After Step 7	After Step 9	After Step 12	After Step 16	After Step 19	Final
master	initial commit	initial commit	initial commit	initial commit	initial commit	initial commit	initial commit	release merged	release merged	hotfix merged	hotfix merged	hotfix merged
develop	-	created from master	same as master	same as master	merged feature/login	same as step 5	same as step 5	same as step 5	merged release	same as step 9	merged hotfix	merged hotfix
feature/login	-	-	created from develop	commit added	merged into develop	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
release/1.0	-	-	-	-	created from develop	bug fix commit	-	-	-	-	-	-
hotfix/1.0.1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	created from master	fix commit	merged into master and develop

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do we create a develop branch instead of working directly on master?

Develop branch acts as a preparation area for new features before they are stable enough for master. See execution_table steps 1 and 2 where develop is created from master and features branch from develop.

Why merge release branch back into both master and develop?

Release branch fixes and final changes must be in master for production and also in develop to keep future work up to date. See execution_table steps 9 and 12.

What is the purpose of hotfix branches?

Hotfix branches fix urgent bugs on production (master) and then merge fixes back to develop to keep all branches consistent. See execution_table steps 13-19.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table at step 3, what happens on the feature/login branch?

A The develop branch is merged into feature/login

B The feature/login branch is deleted

C A commit is added to the feature/login branch

D The master branch is updated

💡 Hint

Check the 'Action' and 'Resulting Branch State' columns at step 3 in the execution_table

At which step is the release branch merged into master?

A Step 7

B Step 9

C Step 12

D Step 16

💡 Hint

Look for the command 'git merge release/1.0' and the branch 'master' in the execution_table

If a hotfix is needed, which branch is it created from according to the variable_tracker?

A master

B develop

C feature/login

D release/1.0

💡 Hint

Check the 'hotfix/1.0.1' row in variable_tracker and see its origin branch

Concept Snapshot

Gitflow workflow uses multiple branches:
- master: production-ready code
- develop: integration branch for features
- feature branches: for new features from develop
- release branches: prepare new production release
- hotfix branches: urgent fixes from master
Merge back in order: feature->develop, release->master+develop, hotfix->master+develop
Tag releases on master for versioning.

Full Transcript

Gitflow workflow organizes code changes using branches. It starts with a master branch for production. A develop branch is created from master to integrate new features. Feature branches are created from develop to work on individual features. After features are done, they merge back into develop. When ready for release, a release branch is created from develop for final testing and fixes. The release branch is merged into master and develop, and tagged on master. If urgent fixes are needed, hotfix branches are created from master, fixed, then merged back into master and develop, and tagged on master. This keeps production stable and development organized.

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