2.1 Branches

A branch is one of Git's most important collaboration tools. It lets you try a feature, fix a bug, or refactor code without disturbing the main line.

A branch is not a copied project

When beginners hear "branch", they often imagine a full copied folder. In Git, a branch is closer to a lightweight pointer to a commit.

git branch
git switch -c feature/search

git switch -c feature/search creates and switches to a new branch. Future commits then move that branch forward.

A concrete login feature example

Suppose the main branch already has two commits:

A Create project
B Finish homepage

Now you want to build a login form. If you edit directly on main, the main line becomes half-finished while you work. A better move is:

git switch main
git switch -c feature/login

At first, both feature/login and main point to commit B. Then you edit files on feature/login:

# edit app/account/page.tsx
git add app/account/page.tsx
git commit -m "Add login form"

This commit moves only feature/login forward to commit C. main still stays at B. That is the core idea of using a branch to isolate work.

Why not do everything on main?

main usually represents the stable line. Keeping new work on a separate branch has three benefits:

• You can return to main and inspect the stable version at any time.
• If the experiment fails, deleting a branch is simpler than cleaning up main.
• In team workflows, code review often happens around branches and Pull Requests.

Common commands

git branch
git switch main
git switch -c feature/login
git switch -

git switch - switches back to the previous branch, which is convenient when moving between main and the current feature branch.