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Branches

What is a branch?​

A branch is an independent line of development in Git.

You create a branch when you want to:

  • Work on new features
  • Fix bugs safely
  • Maintain an older release
  • Experiment without breaking main code

The default branch is usually called main.

Why use branches?​

Common real-world scenarios

  • Maintenance branch

    • Fix bugs
    • Improve performance
    • Patch security issues

  • Development branch

    • Add new features
    • Make breaking changes
    • Prepare for the next major release

  • Bug-fix or experiment branch

    • Isolate risky work
    • Avoid conflicts with other changes

Branches let multiple efforts move forward at the same time.


Why Git branches are powerful​

  • Creating a branch is fast
  • Switching branches is fast
  • Merging branches is easy
  • All branches are technically equal

Even the Linux kernel uses many parallel branches. The main branch (maintained by Linus Torvalds) is socially important, but technically no different from other branches.


One active branch at a time​

You can have many branches in a repository, but:

  • Only one branch is active
  • Your working files always match the active branch
  • Switching branches changes the files on disk

Branch names vs tags​

Branches​

  • Represent an ongoing line of development
  • Move forward as new commits are added
  • Examples: main, devel, stable, debug

Tags​

  • Represent a fixed point in history
  • Do NOT move
  • Should never change
  • Examples: v1.0, v2.4.1

Think of it this way:

  • Branch = moving pointer
  • Tag = permanent bookmark

Creating a branch​

Basic command​

git branch <branch_name> [starting_point]

Example: create a development branch​

git branch devel

This creates a new branch from the current commit.

List branches​

git branch

The current branch is marked with *.

For more detailed history:

git show-branch

Deleting a branch​

git branch -d devel
warning

You cannot delete the branch you are currently on.
Recovering deleted branches is hard — be careful.

Switching branches (checkout)​

To switch to another branch:

git checkout devel
  • Files change to match the branch
  • HEAD moves to the latest commit of that branch
  • No data is lost

To go back:

git checkout main

Create and switch branch in one step​

git checkout -b newbranch startpoint

This is the same as:

git branch newbranch startpoint
git checkout newbranch

Important safety note​

If you have uncommitted changes, Git may refuse to switch branches. This prevents you from accidentally losing work.

Example: files differ across branches​

git branch devel
echo hello > hello
git add hello
git commit -m "add hello file"
git checkout devel

The file hello will NOT exist in devel because it was created after branching.

Getting an earlier version of a file​

View an old version​

git show v2.4.1:src/myfile.c

(Note the :)

Restore an old version​

git checkout v2.4.1 src/myfile.c

(No colon here)

Summary
  • Branches let you work independently and safely
  • Only one branch is active at a time
  • Branches move, tags do not
  • Creating and switching branches is fast
  • Essential for professional Git workflows