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What is GitFlow?

A branching model for Git that defines a strict workflow with feature, develop, release, hotfix, and main branches.

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.

Related Terms

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
The practice of managing infrastructure through machine-readable configuration files rather than manual processes.
Continuous Deployment
A practice where every code change that passes automated tests is automatically deployed to production.
Observability
The ability to understand a system's internal state from its external outputs through metrics, logs, and traces.
Immutable Deployment
A deployment strategy where new versions replace existing instances entirely rather than updating them in place.
Kubernetes Secret
A Kubernetes object for storing sensitive data like passwords, tokens, and certificates, with base64 encoding and optional encryption at rest.
Terraform
An open-source tool for provisioning and managing cloud infrastructure using declarative configuration files.
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