What is the GitHub Flow?
The GitHub Flow is a lightweight, practical workflow for developing software collaboratively using Git and GitHub.
It helps teams work efficiently, experiment safely, and deliver updates or fixes quickly.
How the GitHub Flow Works
1.Create a Branch
Start new work in a separate branch so the main branch (often called master or main) stays stable and deployable.
2.Make Commits
Save your progress by committing changes regularly. Each commit should represent a meaningful, small improvement.
3.Open a Pull Request (PR)
Share your changes by opening a pull request. This lets teammates see what you’ve done and suggest improvements.
4.Review and Discuss
Collaborate by reviewing the pull request. Team members can ask questions, give feedback, and help refine the changes.
5.Deploy for Testing
Optionally deploy the branch to a staging environment to test it in conditions close to production.
6.Merge
Once everything looks good and tests pass, merge the branch into the main branch. Your changes are now part of the production-ready code.
Why Create a New Branch?
Branching is central to GitHub Flow. The main idea is simple:
The main (or master) branch should always remain deployable.
If you want to add a new feature, fix a bug, or experiment, you create a new branch based on the main branch. This keeps your work isolated until it’s ready to be reviewed and merged.
By branching, you can develop confidently without breaking the main codebase.
Make Changes and Commit Your Work
Once your new branch is created, it’s time to start developing.
You can make changes by adding new files, editing existing ones, or deleting what’s no longer needed.
As you work, try to commit your changes often—ideally whenever you reach a small, meaningful milestone.
Each commit should:
- Capture a focused, logical change
- Include a clear message describing what was changed and why
Open a Pull Request
Pull requests (PRs) are central to collaboration on GitHub.
When you open a pull request, you’re letting others know that you have changes ready for them to review, discuss, and potentially merge into the main branch (or another branch).
A pull request creates a dedicated space for conversation around your work, making it easy to:
- Share what you’ve done
- Ask for feedback
- Request that your changes be merged
Review and Improve
Once your pull request is open, team members or collaborators with the right permissions can review it.
This review process is where valuable discussions happen—questions can be asked, suggestions made, and potential issues identified.
If you receive feedback or spot something to improve, you can simply make additional commits and push them to the same branch. Your pull request will update automatically, keeping the conversation and review going.
Pull requests make collaboration straightforward and help teams produce higher quality code together.
Deploy for Final Testing
Once your pull request has been reviewed and approved, it’s time to do a final check.
GitHub makes it easy to deploy directly from your feature branch to a staging or production environment. This allows you to test your changes in a real-world setting before merging them into the main branch.
If something doesn’t work as expected, you can quickly roll back by redeploying the main branch.
This step helps catch last-minute issues and ensures your code is truly ready for production.
Merge
After thorough testing and review, it’s time to merge your branch into the main branch (often called main or master).
Merging makes your completed work part of the production-ready codebase.
Pull requests help keep a clear record of what was changed, why it was changed, and the discussions that led to those decisions. By writing clear commit messages and comments, you make it easier for yourself and others to look back later and understand the history behind the code.
