Git Branching Model

Branch Categories:

origin/master
- the main branch where the source code of HEAD always reflects a production-ready state.
origin/develop
- the main branch where the source code of HEAD always reflects a state with the latest delivered development changes for the next release.
- When the source code in the develop branch reaches a stable point and is ready to be released, all of the changes should be merged back into master somehow and then tagged with a release number

May branch off from: develop

Must merge back into: develop

are used to develop new features for the upcoming or a distant future release.
it exists as long as the feature is in development, but will eventually be
- merged back into develop (to definitely add the new feature to the upcoming release) or
- discarded (in case of a disappointing experiment).

May branch off from: develop

Must merge back into: develop and master

support preparation of a new production release
when develop (almost) reflects the desired state of the new release. At least all features that are targeted for the release-to-be-built must be merged in to develop at this point in time. All features targeted at future releases may not — they must wait until after the release branch is branched off. This is the key moment to branch off a new release branch from develop.

May branch off from: master

Must merge back into: develop and master

much like release branches in that they are also meant to prepare for a new production release, albeit unplanned.
When a critical bug in a production version must be resolved immediately, a hotfix branch may be branched off from the corresponding tag on the master branch that marks the production version.
The essence is that work of team members (on the develop branch) can continue, while another person is preparing a quick production fix.