Git Best Practices
Good Git habits make projects easier to maintain and collaborate on. This includes committing often with clear messages, using branches for new work, and keeping the main branch stable.
Following consistent practices — like never committing secrets, reviewing diffs before committing, and pulling before pushing — prevents many common problems on both solo and team projects.
git diff --staged
git commit -m "clear, specific message"Commit habits
Commit small, logical changes often, write clear messages, and review `git diff` before committing to avoid accidentally including debug code or unrelated changes.
Repository hygiene
Keep main always in a working, deployable state, use .gitignore to avoid committing generated files or secrets, and delete merged branches to keep things tidy.
git diff --staged
git commit -m "Add input validation to signup form"[main 6d2f0ab] Add input validation to signup formReviewing the staged diff before committing helps catch mistakes before they become permanent history.
git branch -d feature/old-experimentDeleted branch feature/old-experiment (was 4d1f0bb).Deletes a merged, no-longer-needed branch to keep the branch list clean and manageable.
Key points
- Commit small, focused changes with clear messages.
- Review staged diffs before committing.
- Keep main stable and always deployable.
- Delete merged branches and never commit secrets.