What is GitFlow?

GitFlow, introduced by Vincent Driessen, organizes development around two main branches: main (production-ready code) and develop (integration branch). Feature branches fork from develop and merge back when complete. Release branches prepare for production with final testing and version bumping. Hotfix branches address urgent production issues by branching from main. While GitFlow provides clear structure, many teams now prefer simpler models like GitHub Flow (main + feature branches) or trunk-based development for faster CI/CD cycles. The best choice depends on release frequency and team size.