Stage 5 · Lesson 5 of 8
Branches for every change
let you work on one change without disturbing the rest. Make a new branch for each piece of work. git switch -c fix-empty-cart creates a branch and moves you onto it.
git switch main takes you back, and git branch lists all branches. A branch is only a pointer, so branches cost almost nothing. Use many short-lived ones rather than one long one.
Keep main working and try experiments elsewhere. Before switching, commit your changes or put them aside with . Otherwise Git either carries them along or refuses to switch. Name branches after the work, not after yourself.
Common trapdoing everything on main, then finding it impossible to open a clean for one change.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 2 cheat sheet entries come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Start with· follow one of these
- BookFreePro Git
Scott Chacon and Ben Straub
The free official Git book; chapters 2 and 3 cover everything in this stage properly
- CourseFreeThe Missing Semester of Your CS Education
MIT · Beginner
The version control lecture teaches Git from its data model upwards, which makes commands make sense
Practise
Keep handy
Also worth your time
- roadmap.sh: Git and GitHubGo deeper
A map of Git and GitHub topics, from basics to hooks, submodules and Actions