################## 5.1 Best practices ################## #. Learn how to use ``git`` by playing https://ohmygit.org/ #. Keep your commits small and focused on a single change, try not to update more than one service or component. #. Write clear, concise commit messages, a good example is to use the: Backlog #Task_Number Commit message "AzureBoards #12345 Initial Commit" #. Regularly pull and merge from the main branch to avoid conflicts and keep your branch up-to-date. #. Test your code before committing. #. Use pull requests for code review and collaboration. #. Avoid large binary files in your Git repository ( we use other tools for packages and artifacts) #. Use .gitignore files to exclude files that should not be tracked by Git. #. Use a branching strategy, such as Git Flow, to manage the development process. Is a git branching and release management workflow that helps developers keep track of features, hotfixes, and releases in bigger software projects. - Branch name for production releases: [master] - now ``main`` due to me2 movements - Branch name for "next release" development: [develop] - How to name your supporting branch prefixes - Feature branches [feature/] - Release branches [release/] - Hotfix branches [hotfix/] .. image:: ../diagrams/sem_ver.png :width: 1000 px :alt: Semantic Versioning #. Back up your repository regularly.