What is a branching workflow, and how do Git Flow and GitHub Flow differ?

A branching workflow is a set of rules about how the team uses branches. Git Flow is more elaborate: long-lived branches (main, develop) plus feature, release, and hotfix branches. GitHub Flow is simple: a single main branch (main) and short-lived feature branches that are integrated via PR and deployed often.

Knowing how to use branches is not enough: the team needs to agree on how to use them. The two best-known models:

• Git Flow (more formal):

  • main: production code.
  • develop: integration of work in progress.
  • feature/*: each new feature, branches off develop.
  • release/*: prepare a version.
  • hotfix/*: urgent fixes from main.
  • Good for projects with planned versions and releases.

• GitHub Flow (more agile):

  • Only main (always deployable).
  • Short-lived feature branches that branch off main.
  • They are integrated via Pull Request and deployed continuously.
  • Good for continuous deployment and modern web teams.

Today, with CI/CD, the trend is toward simple workflows like GitHub Flow.

# --- GitHub Flow: simple, one main branch ---
git switch main
git switch -c feature/login   # short-lived feature branch
# ...commits...
git push -u origin feature/login
# A PR is opened against main, reviewed, merged, and deployed

# --- Git Flow: long-lived branches ---
git switch develop
git switch -c feature/carrito   # feature branches off develop
# ...commits...
git switch develop
git merge feature/carrito       # integrated into develop
# When preparing a version: release/1.0 is created from develop
# An urgent bug in production: hotfix/1.0.1 branches off main

Believing that "there is only one correct workflow." It depends on the project: Git Flow can be too heavy for a small team with continuous deployment, and GitHub Flow can fall short for software with formal versions. Another mistake is not agreeing on the workflow as a team and letting everyone use branches their own way.

"A branching workflow is how the team agrees to use branches. Git Flow is more formal: long-lived branches like main and develop, plus feature, release, and hotfix branches; it fits well with planned versions. GitHub Flow is simpler: only main, short-lived feature branches that are integrated via PR and deployed often; it fits continuous deployment. There is no single correct one: it depends on the project, although with CI/CD the trend is toward simple workflows like GitHub Flow."