Git Branch Basics
📌 Covered in this chapter:
git branch · git switch · Creating & Deleting Branches · Naming Conventions
Create, switch, rename, and delete branches to isolate your work from the main codebase.
1Git Branch Basics — What You'll Learn
Create, switch, rename, and delete branches to isolate your work from the main codebase.
Here's everything this chapter covers, in the order you'll learn it:
- What a branch is
- Why branches are used for isolated work
- The default branch (main)
- Creating a new branch
- Listing all branches
- Switching to a different branch
- Renaming a branch
- Deleting a branch
- Branch naming conventions
- Feature branches
2Working Example
💻 Example: Git Branch Basics
Bash
git branch
git branch feature/java-tutorial
git switch feature/java-tutorial
git switch -c feature/python-quiz3Best Practices & Common Pitfalls
💡 Key things to remember:
- git switch -c
creates AND switches to a new branch in one step — the modern replacement for the older git checkout -b. - Branches are extremely lightweight in Git (just a pointer to a commit) — create them freely for even small pieces of work.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q What's the most important thing to understand about git branch basics?
Focus on: git branch · git switch · Creating & Deleting Branches · Naming Conventions. These are the core building blocks this chapter's examples are built around, and they show up repeatedly in later chapters of this course.
Q Is git branch basics something I'll use often in real projects?
Yes — every concept in this chapter reflects a real, everyday part of professional Git and GitHub workflows, not just a theoretical exercise.