# Git Recommendations

The following are a collection of suggestions to best use Git as a source control system.

- Commits SHOULD represent a logical unit of work.
- Commit frequently
  - Push your commits to a branch on your own fork, if possible.
- Write [descriptive commit messages].
- Keep remote repository up-to-date by committing and pushing your work regularly.
- Keep your local copies of repositories up-to-date by regularly pulling changes.
  - Frequently pull from upstream to the `main` branch, and rebase your changes on top (see the [rebase workflow]).
- Coordinate with colleagues to avoid nasty merge conflicts (if you can).
  - Try the git [rebase workflow].
- Use branches and merge requests.
  - Pick a branching strategy that works for you and your team.
    Consider [GitHub Flow](https://guides.github.com/introduction/flow/index.html).
  - Create a new branch for each feature or bugfix.
  - The `main` branch SHOULD always contain releasable code.
  - Protect your `main` branch; require merge requests to make changes.
  - Configure a group of default reviewers for your pull requests.
  - For teams of 4 or more, require a minimum of 2 approvers for all merge requests.
- Avoid force operations (`-f` or `--force` option), especially on `main` branch, as this is an indication you are probably doing something wrong.
- Keep your repository neat: always delete merged branches.

[descriptive commit messages]: https://cbea.ms/git-commit/#seven-rules
[rebase workflow]: https://git-rebase.io