Branch renaming and deletion

Branch Renaming

Git allows developers to rename local branches, which is useful when branch names are non-standard or when adjusting project structure. Renaming a branch does not affect the remote repository unless the modified branch name is explicitly pushed.

To rename the currently checked-out branch, use the following command:

git branch -m <new-branch-name>

To rename another local branch, first switch to a non-target branch, then execute:

git branch -m <old-branch-name> <new-branch-name>

For example, to rename feature-login to feature-auth:

# Currently on the main branch
git branch -m feature-login feature-auth

After renaming, to synchronize with the remote repository:

git push origin :<old-branch-name> <new-branch-name>
git push origin -u <new-branch-name>

Branch Deletion

Deleting branches is a routine operation in Git workflows, especially for merged feature branches or temporary experimental branches. Before deletion, ensure the branch content has been merged or is no longer needed.

To delete a local branch:

git branch -d <branch-name>

To force-delete an unmerged branch (losing unmerged changes):

git branch -D <branch-name>

To delete a remote branch:

git push origin --delete <branch-name>
# Or use the empty branch push syntax
git push origin :<branch-name>

Batch Operation Tips

When handling multiple branches, combine grep and xargs for batch operations:

Delete all local branches merged into the current branch:

git branch --merged | grep -v '\*' | xargs -n 1 git branch -d

Delete all remote branches with the "temp-" prefix:

git branch -r | grep 'origin/temp-' | sed 's/origin\///' | xargs -n 1 git push origin --delete

Branch Recovery

To recover a mistakenly deleted branch, use reflog:

# View operation history to find the commit hash before deletion
git reflog
# Recreate the branch based on a specific commit
git branch <branch-name> <commit-hash>

For example, to recover the deleted feature-payment branch:

git reflog | grep 'feature-payment'
# Assuming the found hash is a1b2c3d
git branch feature-payment a1b2c3d

Branch Naming Conventions

Good branch naming habits improve team collaboration efficiency. Recommended patterns include:

• feature/ for new feature development
• bugfix/ for issue fixes
• hotfix/ for urgent fixes
• release/ for version releases
• experiment/ for experimental features

Examples:

git branch feature/user-profile
git branch bugfix/login-validation
git branch release/v1.2.0

GUI Tool Operations

For developers unfamiliar with the command line, mainstream Git clients provide visual operations:

VS Code Git Extension:

1. Right-click the target branch in the branch view
2. Select "Rename Branch" or "Delete Branch"
3. Confirm the action

GitKraken Workflow:

1. Locate the target branch in the left branch list
2. Click the more options button next to the branch
3. Select "Rename" or "Delete"

Team Collaboration Considerations

When operating branches in a multi-person project, note the following:

1. Notify the team channel before deleting remote branches
2. Update references in related documentation after renaming branches
3. CI/CD pipelines may contain branch name configurations
4. Other team members need to update local branch tracking relationships:

git fetch --prune
git remote set-head origin -a

Hook Script Applications

Use Git hooks to implement branch operation restrictions, such as a pre-push hook to prevent accidental deletion of main branches:

#!/bin/sh
protected_branches=('main' 'master' 'develop')
branch=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)

for protected in "${protected_branches[@]}"
do
  if [ "$branch" = "$protected" ]; then
    echo "Error: Pushing delete operations to protected branch $protected is prohibited"
    exit 1
  fi
done
exit 0