Git Branch Visualizer

GitFlow uses multiple long-lived branches (main, develop, release, hotfix) for scheduled releases. GitHub Flow uses only main plus feature branches for continuous deployment. GitHub Flow is simpler but GitFlow provides more release control.

Trunk-based development means all developers commit directly to main or use very short-lived feature branches (less than 1 day). It requires excellent CI/CD, feature flags, and automated testing.

Short-lived feature branches (1-3 days maximum) are strongly preferred. Long-lived branches lead to painful merges and integration issues. Use feature flags to merge incomplete work safely.

Consider release cadence, team size, and deployment practices. For continuous deployment with a small team, use GitHub Flow. For scheduled releases, use GitFlow. For high-velocity teams, consider trunk-based.

Feature flags are runtime toggles that hide incomplete features in production code. They're essential for trunk-based development and useful for A/B testing and gradual rollouts.