Git Commit Standards Guide

Learning Objectives

Learn the standardized commit message format
Understand how to write clear and descriptive commit messages
Master atomic commits and their importance
Implement effective commit organization strategies

Writing Great Commit Messages

Clear, well-structured commit messages are crucial for maintaining a useful Git history. They help team members understand changes, make code reviews easier, and facilitate future maintenance.

Benefits

•Easier code review process
•Better release notes generation
•Simplified debugging and bug tracking

Key Principles

•Be clear and descriptive
•Follow consistent format
•Separate subject from body

Commit Message Format

A well-structured commit message follows a standard format that includes a subject line and an optional body separated by a blank line.

Standard Commit Message Format

type(scope): subject line
 
[optional body]
 
[optional footer]

Common Types

feat:New feature additions
fix:Bug fixes
docs:Documentation changes
style:Code style changes
refactor:Code refactoring
test:Adding or modifying tests

Commit Message Examples

Feature Addition

feat(auth): add OAuth2 authentication
 
Implement OAuth2 authentication flow with Google and GitHub providers.
- Add OAuth2 client configuration
- Implement callback handlers
- Add user profile fetching
 
Closes #123

Bug Fix

fix(api): prevent duplicate user registration
 
Add unique constraint to email field and proper error handling
for duplicate registration attempts.
 
Fixes #456

Breaking Change

feat(api)!: change authentication endpoint structure
 
Change /auth/login to /api/v2/auth for API versioning.
 
BREAKING CHANGE: Authentication endpoints have moved to /api/v2/auth.
Update your API clients accordingly.

Atomic Commits

Atomic commits contain a single logical change to your codebase. This practice makes it easier to understand changes, revert if needed, and maintain a clean history.

Good Practices

✓One logical change per commit
✓All tests pass with each commit
✓Clear, focused commit messages

Bad Practices

✗Multiple unrelated changes
✗Mixing refactoring with features
✗Vague commit messages

Commit Organization Tips

1.
Use Interactive Staging
Use `git add -p` to stage specific parts of files, enabling more granular commits.
```
$  git add -p
```
2.
Review Changes Before Committing
Always review staged changes before committing.
```
$  git diff --staged
```
3.
Fix Up Commits During Development
Use `--fixup` to mark commits as fixes to previous ones.
```
$  git commit --fixup=HEAD~1
```

What's Next?

Now that you understand commit message standards, let's explore different team workflows and how to choose the right one for your project. In the next lesson, you'll learn about:

Common team workflow patterns
Trunk-based development strategy
Feature branch workflow variations
Choosing the right workflow for your team