Git vs Git Flow: What are the differences?

Git is a distributed version control system used for tracking changes in source code. Git Flow, on the other hand, is a branching model and set of conventions built on top of Git. Let's explore the key differences between them:

1. Branching Model: Git Flow is a branching model that defines specific branch names and their purposes. It uses a long-running develop branch for ongoing development and separate feature, release, hotfix, and support branches for different stages of development. On the other hand, Git allows flexible branching where developers can create and manage branches in any way they prefer.

2. Workflow: Git Flow follows a strict workflow with well-defined steps. It includes creating branches for features, merging them into the develop branch when complete, creating release branches for preparing releases, and merging them into both develop and master branches. This workflow ensures a well-structured development process and smooth releases. In contrast, Git itself does not enforce a specific workflow and leaves it up to the developers to decide how they want to manage their branches and releases.

3. Release Management: Git Flow includes specific branch types for managing releases. The release branches are used to prepare and stabilize releases, allowing bug fixes and small features to be merged in before the final release. Git, on the other hand, does not have predefined release branches, and developers can choose how they want to handle releases. They can create separate branches or use tags to mark release points.

4. Hotfixes: Git Flow provides a dedicated branch type for hotfixes that allows for quick and isolated fixes to critical issues in production. Hotfix branches are created from the master branch, and once the fixes are ready, they are merged into both master and develop branches. In Git, hotfixes can be managed in different ways, such as creating a separate branch from the master branch or applying the fix directly to the master branch.

5. Production Stability: Git Flow emphasizes keeping the master branch stable at all times to ensure a production-ready state. It suggests merging only release and hotfix branches into the master branch to maintain stable versions of the codebase. Git, on the other hand, does not enforce such a strict stability requirement for the master branch, allowing developers to merge any branch into it if needed.

6. Complexity: Git Flow introduces additional complexity with its defined branching model and workflow. It can be more suitable for projects that require a structured development process and have strict release management needs. Git, being more flexible, is simpler in terms of its branching and workflow management. It allows developers to adapt their development process according to their specific project requirements.

In summary, Git Flow provides a predefined branching model and workflow for structured development and release management, while Git offers more flexibility in managing branches and workflows based on project requirements.