Branching

This YouTube video was created by GitHub Training & Guides.

A branch is a divergence from the main line of development. In other words, if a Git repository is a straight line, a branch is a second line that splits and runs parallel from the first.

Creating a Branch

In Git, a branch can be created using the git branch command. While the git branch command accepts many options, to create a new branch, follow the command with the desired name of the new branch.

git branch new-branch

Switching Branches

When the Git repository is first initialized, a default branch is created. This branch is usually called main or master (Learn How to set the name of the default branch). But once a second or multiple branches are created, it may become necessary to switch to an alternate branch. Switching can be accomplished by using the git checkout command.

git checkout new-branch