Git for Solo Developers

Git Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

GitFlow, GitHub Flow, trunk-based development... lots of opinions out there. When you're working solo, you need something simpler.

Here's a workflow I've used for years.

The Setup

Two types of branches:

• main - always works, always deployable
• feature/something or fix/something - your work in progress

That's it. No develop branch, no release branches.

Starting Work

git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b feature/user-profiles

Do your work. Commit often:

git add -A
git commit -m "Add profile page layout"
# more work
git commit -m "Add avatar upload"
# more work
git commit -m "Connect profile form to backend"

Writing Good Commit Messages

Future you will thank present you.

Bad:

fixed stuff
updates
wip

Good:

Add avatar upload to profile page

- Accept jpg, png, gif up to 2MB
- Store in S3 with public access
- Generate thumbnail on upload

The format:

1. Short summary (what you did)
2. Blank line
3. Details if needed (why, how, gotchas)

Finishing a Feature

Before merging, sync with main and clean up:

git checkout main
git pull
git checkout feature/user-profiles
git rebase main

If there are conflicts, fix them. Then:

git checkout main
git merge feature/user-profiles
git push
git branch -d feature/user-profiles

The Rebase Question

git merge keeps all your messy commits. git rebase lets you clean them up first.

I usually squash related commits before merging:

git rebase -i HEAD~5  # Interactive rebase last 5 commits

Change pick to squash for commits you want to combine. Rewrite the message. Now your feature is one or two clean commits.

Tagging Releases

When you deploy something:

git tag -a v1.4.0 -m "Release 1.4.0 - user profiles"
git push origin v1.4.0

Now you can always get back to this exact code:

git checkout v1.4.0

Useful Shortcuts

Add to ~/.gitconfig:

[alias]
    st = status
    co = checkout
    br = branch
    ci = commit
    unstage = reset HEAD --
    last = log -1 HEAD
    undo = reset --soft HEAD~1

Now git st instead of git status, etc.

Fixing Mistakes

Committed but didn't push? Undo it:

git reset --soft HEAD~1
# Your changes are back, uncommitted

Messed up a file?

git checkout -- filename.php

Need to find a lost commit?

git reflog
# Shows recent HEAD positions, find your commit hash
git checkout abc123

Push Often

Your laptop could die. Push to remote at least daily:

git push origin HEAD

I push after finishing any meaningful chunk of work. Small feature done? Push. Fixed a bug? Push.

The Whole Flow

1. Pull main
2. Create feature branch
3. Work, commit often
4. Rebase on main (fix conflicts)
5. Squash if needed
6. Merge to main
7. Push
8. Delete feature branch
9. Tag if it's a release

Simple, clean history, easy to understand what happened and when.