GitHub - gittower/git-flow-next: A modern reimplementation of git-flow in Go that offers greater flexibility while maintaining backward compatibility with the original git-flow and git-flow-avh.

A modern implementation of the Git-flow branching model, written in Go. It is brought to you and maintaned by the team at Tower, the most powerful Git client for Mac and Windows.

About

git-flow-next is a modern reimplementation of the popular git-flow branching model. It's built with Go, focusing on reliability, extensibility, and developer experience.

Why This Project?

This project is maintained by the team behind Tower, one of the most popular Git clients for Mac and Windows. Having integrated git-flow into Tower over many years, we've gained deep insights into its strengths and areas for improvement.

As developers of version control tools, we're passionate about creating better developer experiences. While the original git-flow has served the community well, we saw an opportunity to build a more modern implementation that:

Is written in Go for better maintainability and performance
Provides a more robust and reliable experience
Offers better error handling and conflict resolution
Supports modern Git workflows and practices
Maintains compatibility with existing git-flow setups

Our goal is to contribute back to the developer community with tools that make version control workflows more efficient and enjoyable.

Features

Modern Implementation: Written in Go with focus on reliability and maintainability
Improved Conflict Resolution: Better handling of merge conflicts and edge cases
Flexible Configuration: Customizable branch naming and merge strategies
Compatibility: Works with existing git-flow repositories
Enhanced Error Handling: Clear error messages and recovery options
Performance: Fast and efficient operations

Installation

Homebrew (macOS and Linux)

brew install gittower/tap/git-flow-next

Manual Installation

Download the latest release from the releases page
Extract the binary to a location in your PATH
Make it executable: chmod +x /path/to/git-flow

Quick Start

Initialize git-flow in your repository:
Start a new feature:
```
git flow feature start my-feature
```
Finish the feature:
```
git flow feature finish my-feature
```

Shorthand Commands

git-flow-next provides convenient shorthand commands that automatically detect your current topic branch and execute the appropriate action. These aliases work similar to git-flow-avh and eliminate the need to specify the branch type manually.

Available Shorthands

Shorthand	Full Command	Description
`git flow delete`	`git flow <type> delete <name>`	Delete the current topic branch
`git flow rebase`	`git flow <type> update --rebase`	Rebase the current topic branch
`git flow update`	`git flow <type> update`	Update the current topic branch
`git flow rename`	`git flow <type> rename <name>`	Rename the current topic branch
`git flow publish`	`git flow <type> publish`	Publish the current topic branch
`git flow finish`	`git flow <type> finish`	Finish the current topic branch

How It Works

When you use a shorthand command, git-flow-next:

Detects your current branch - Checks which branch you're currently on
Identifies the branch type - Determines if it's a feature, release, hotfix, or support branch based on configured prefixes
Executes the full command - Runs the corresponding full command with the detected type and branch name

Examples

# On a feature branch
git checkout feature/my-awesome-feature
git flow finish  # Executes: git flow feature finish my-awesome-feature
git flow rebase  # Executes: git flow feature update --rebase

# On a release branch  
git checkout release/v1.2.0
git flow publish  # Executes: git flow release publish v1.2.0

# On a hotfix branch
git checkout hotfix/critical-bug
git flow finish  # Executes: git flow hotfix finish critical-bug
git flow rebase  # Executes: git flow hotfix update --rebase

Branch Detection

The shorthand commands automatically detect topic branches based on your git-flow configuration:

Feature branches: feature/, features/, feat/
Release branches: release/, releases/, rel/
Hotfix branches: hotfix/, hotfixes/, hf/
Support branches: support/, supports/, sup/

Error Handling

Non-topic branches: If you're not on a topic branch, you'll get a clear error message
Ambiguous branches: If a branch name could be interpreted multiple ways, you'll be prompted to use the explicit command
Missing branches: If the branch doesn't exist, appropriate error messages are shown

Command Options

All options and flags are passed through to the underlying commands:

# Options work exactly like the full commands
git flow finish --keep --tag  # Keeps the branch and creates a tag
git flow update --rebase      # Forces rebase strategy for update
git flow delete --force       # Force deletes the branch

Supported Branch Types

The shorthand commands work with all standard git-flow branch types:

Feature branches: For new features and enhancements
Release branches: For preparing new releases
Hotfix branches: For critical bug fixes
Support branches: For maintaining older versions

Documentation

For detailed documentation, please visit our documentation site.

Configuration Reference

For comprehensive configuration information, see CONFIGURATION.md which includes:

Complete list of all configuration options
Default values and examples
Configuration precedence hierarchy (some options intentionally skip branch defaults)
Migration guide from git-flow-avh
Best practices and workflows

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details on how to get involved.

Development

For information about the project's architecture and technical overview, see ARCHITECTURE.md.

Testing Resources

TESTING_GUIDELINES.md - Testing conventions, patterns, and best practices
GIT_TEST_SCENARIOS.md - How to set up specific Git test scenarios (merge conflicts, local remotes, state verification)

License

This project is licensed under the BSD 2-Clause License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

This project builds upon the work of:

Vincent Driessen's original git-flow
Peter van der Does' git-flow (AVH Edition)

About Tower

git-flow-next is maintained by the team behind Tower, the popular Git client for Mac and Windows. With over a decade of experience in Git tooling and version control, we're committed to creating high-quality developer tools that make working with Git more efficient and enjoyable.