What does "Git Flow" mean in programming?
Git Flow is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.
Definition
A branching strategy that uses long-lived branches: main, develop, feature branches, release branches, and hotfix branches. Git Flow is structured but adds overhead. It was popular before continuous deployment; today many teams prefer trunk-based development for faster iteration.
Example
"We used Git Flow but switched to trunk-based development after CI/CD became mature — the long-lived branches were creating too many merge conflicts."
Related terms
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