Create Branch

Learn how to create Git branches with detailed step-by-step instructions, practical examples, and best practices for different scenarios.

Creating Git Branches

Creating a branch in Git is like creating a new workspace where you can experiment and develop features without affecting the main codebase.

Basic Branch Creation

Method 1: Create and Stay on Current Branch

git branch branch_name

This command creates a new branch called branch_name based on your current branch, but keeps you on your current branch.

git checkout -b branch_name

This command creates a new branch called branch_name and immediately switches to it. This is the most commonly used method.

Method 3: Modern Git Syntax (Git 2.23+)

git switch -c branch_name

This is the newer, more intuitive way to create and switch to a new branch.

Step-by-Step Guide: Creating Your First Branch

Scenario: Adding a Contact Form to a Website

Let's walk through creating a branch for adding a contact form to your website.

Step 1: Check your current status

git status

Expected Output:

On branch main
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.
nothing to commit, working tree clean

Step 2: Make sure you're on the main branch

git checkout main

Expected Output:

Already on 'main'

Step 3: Get the latest changes

git pull origin main

Expected Output:

Already up to date.

Step 4: Create and switch to your new branch

git checkout -b feature/contact-form

Expected Output:

Switched to a new branch 'feature/contact-form'

Step 5: Verify you're on the new branch

git branch

Expected Output:

* feature/contact-form
  main

The * indicates your current branch.

Different Branch Creation Scenarios

1. Feature Development Branch

When to use: Adding new functionality

# Creating a branch for user authentication
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b feature/user-authentication

# Creating a branch for search functionality  
git checkout -b feature/search-system

# Creating a branch for payment integration
git checkout -b feature/payment-gateway

Visual Representation:

Before:
main: A---B---C (HEAD)

After creating feature/user-authentication:
main:    A---B---C
         ↘
feature/user-authentication: A---B---C (HEAD)

2. Bug Fix Branch

When to use: Fixing non-critical bugs

# Fix a bug in the navigation menu
git checkout -b bugfix/navigation-menu-error

# Fix a styling issue
git checkout -b bugfix/button-alignment-issue

3. Hotfix Branch

When to use: Fixing critical issues in production

# Critical security fix
git checkout main
git checkout -b hotfix/security-vulnerability

# Critical payment system fix
git checkout -b hotfix/payment-system-crash

4. Experimental Branch

When to use: Trying out new ideas

# Experimenting with a new design
git checkout -b experiment/new-ui-design

# Testing a new library
git checkout -b experiment/react-query-integration

Branch Naming Conventions

Good Naming Patterns

TypePatternExample
Featurefeature/descriptionfeature/user-profile
Bug Fixbugfix/descriptionbugfix/login-error
Hotfixhotfix/descriptionhotfix/payment-crash
Experimentexperiment/descriptionexperiment/new-framework
Documentationdocs/descriptiondocs/api-documentation

Naming Best Practices

✅ Good Examples:

  • feature/shopping-cart
  • bugfix/header-navigation
  • hotfix/security-patch
  • docs/installation-guide

❌ Bad Examples:

  • my-branch (too vague)
  • temp (unclear purpose)
  • new-stuff (not descriptive)
  • branch-1 (meaningless)

Creating Branches from Specific Points

Create Branch from Another Branch

# Create a feature branch from develop branch
git checkout develop
git checkout -b feature/new-feature

# Or in one command:
git checkout -b feature/new-feature develop

Create Branch from a Specific Commit

# Create branch from a specific commit hash
git checkout -b hotfix/old-bug a1b2c3d4

# Create branch from a tag
git checkout -b feature/from-v1.0 v1.0.0

Visual Example:

Commit History:
main: A---B---C---D---E (HEAD)
      ↑
      └─ Create branch here

Command: git checkout -b bugfix/issue-from-B a1b2c3d4

Result:
main:    A---B---C---D---E
         ↘
bugfix/issue-from-B: A---B (HEAD)

Practical Exercise: Creating Multiple Branches

Let's practice with a real scenario. Imagine you're working on a blog website:

1. Create a branch for adding comments:

git checkout main
git checkout -b feature/add-comments
# Work on comments feature

2. Switch back and create a branch for fixing header:

git checkout main
git checkout -b bugfix/fix-header-responsive
# Work on header fix

3. Create a branch for experimenting with dark mode:

git checkout main
git checkout -b experiment/dark-mode-theme
# Experiment with dark mode

Visual Result:

Repository Structure:
main: A---B---C
      ↘     ↘     ↘
feature/add-comments: A---B---C
bugfix/fix-header-responsive: A---B---C  
experiment/dark-mode-theme: A---B---C

Common Scenarios and Solutions

Scenario 1: "I forgot to create a branch and made changes on main"

Problem: You've been working on main and have uncommitted changes.

Solution:

# 1. Create and switch to new branch (changes come with you)
git checkout -b feature/my-work

# 2. Commit your changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add my feature work"

# 3. Switch back to main (which is now clean)
git checkout main

Scenario 2: "I need to create a branch but have uncommitted changes"

Problem: You have changes but want to start a new branch.

Solution Option 1 - Stash changes:

# 1. Stash your current changes
git stash

# 2. Create new branch
git checkout -b feature/new-work

# 3. Apply stashed changes if needed
git stash pop

Solution Option 2 - Commit then branch:

# 1. Commit your current work
git add .
git commit -m "Work in progress"

# 2. Create new branch
git checkout -b feature/continue-work

Scenario 3: "I want to create a branch with the same name that exists"

Problem: Branch name already exists.

Error Message:

fatal: A branch named 'feature/login' already exists.

Solutions:

# Option 1: Use a different name
git checkout -b feature/login-v2

# Option 2: Delete old branch first (if safe)
git branch -d feature/login
git checkout -b feature/login

# Option 3: Switch to existing branch
git checkout feature/login

Verifying Your Branch Creation

After creating a branch, always verify:

1. Check current branch:

git branch

2. Check branch with commit info:

git branch -v

Expected Output:

* feature/contact-form a1b2c3d Add contact form structure
  main                 e4f5g6h Latest main commit

3. Check remote tracking:

git branch -vv

Next Steps After Creating a Branch

  1. Start working: Make your changes and commits
  2. Push to remote: git push origin branch-name
  3. Create pull request: For code review and merging
  4. Keep updated: Regularly sync with main branch

Free Resources

official: