Git Branch

Branches let you work on a feature, fix, or experiment in isolation without affecting the main codebase. They're one of Git's most powerful features and a core part of any team workflow.

What is a Branch?

A branch is an independent line of development. The default branch is usually called main (or master in older repos). When you create a new branch, Git creates a pointer to the current commit. Your new work goes on that branch without touching main.

List Branches

Show all local branches:

git branch

Show local and remote branches:

git branch -a

The branch with a * is the one you're currently on.

Create a Branch

git branch <branch-name>

Example:

git branch feature/user-login

This creates the branch but does not switch to it.

Create and Switch in One Step

git checkout -b feature/user-login

Or using the newer git switch command (Git 2.23+):

git switch -c feature/user-login

See Which Branch You're On

git branch

Or:

git status

The first line shows On branch feature/user-login.

Push a New Branch to Remote

git push -u origin feature/user-login

tip

Use a consistent naming convention for branches. Common formats are feature/short-description, fix/bug-description, and chore/task-description.

Keep branch names lowercase with hyphens, not spaces or underscores.

Common Mistakes

Creating a branch from the wrong starting point — always check which branch you're on before creating a new one. If you want to branch off main, run git checkout main first, then create your new branch.

Forgetting to switch after creating — git branch <name> only creates the branch; it doesn't check it out. Use git checkout -b <name> or git switch -c <name> to create and switch in one step.

Too many stale branches — delete branches once their work is merged. Keeping dozens of old branches makes the repo hard to navigate.

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Next Steps: Switching Branches with git checkout