Moving Between Branches and Deleting Them
Creating and Switching to a New Branch
To switch to an existing branch, use the git checkout command.
However, since creating a new branch and switching to it immediately is a common action, Git provides a convenient option for it.
Use the same git checkout command with the -b flag:
git checkout -b <new_branch_name>
Deleting Branches
To delete a branch, use the -d flag (which stands for delete). This deletes the branch only if its changes are already merged into the current branch:
git branch -d <branch_name>
Where <branch_name> is the name of the branch you want to delete.
If there are unmerged changes, Git will prevent the deletion and provide a warning.
Everything will become clear with an example.
Example Workflow
First, check the status of the working tree and staging area:
As you can see, the working tree and staging area are empty, and you are currently on the testing/some-tests branch.
Now create a new branch named feature/new-feature, immediately switch to it, and then list all branches:
The HEAD now points to the new branch, so display the two most recent commits:
The new branch and the testing/some-tests branch both point to the same latest commit.
Since you are now on the new branch, you can safely delete the testing/some-tests branch:
The deletion was successful.
Now review the two most recent commits and list all existing branches:
The branch was successfully deleted, leaving only two branches.
The new branch points to the latest commit, while the master branch remains one commit behind.
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Creating and Switching to a New Branch
To switch to an existing branch, use the git checkout command.
However, since creating a new branch and switching to it immediately is a common action, Git provides a convenient option for it.
Use the same git checkout command with the -b flag:
git checkout -b <new_branch_name>
Deleting Branches
To delete a branch, use the -d flag (which stands for delete). This deletes the branch only if its changes are already merged into the current branch:
git branch -d <branch_name>
Where <branch_name> is the name of the branch you want to delete.
If there are unmerged changes, Git will prevent the deletion and provide a warning.
Everything will become clear with an example.
Example Workflow
First, check the status of the working tree and staging area:
As you can see, the working tree and staging area are empty, and you are currently on the testing/some-tests branch.
Now create a new branch named feature/new-feature, immediately switch to it, and then list all branches:
The HEAD now points to the new branch, so display the two most recent commits:
The new branch and the testing/some-tests branch both point to the same latest commit.
Since you are now on the new branch, you can safely delete the testing/some-tests branch:
The deletion was successful.
Now review the two most recent commits and list all existing branches:
The branch was successfully deleted, leaving only two branches.
The new branch points to the latest commit, while the master branch remains one commit behind.
Thanks for your feedback!
