branch-management

Spectatr Branch Management SOP

Branch Types

Branch Type	Pattern	Environment	Purpose
Main	main	Production	Stable, production-ready code
Hotfix	hotfix/*	Production	Emergency production fixes only
Dev	dev	Development	Integration branch for all features
Feature	feat/*	Development	Individual feature development

Branch Hierarchy

feat/*  ──►  dev  ──►  main
              ▲          ▲
              └──────────┤
                         │
                      hotfix/*

• feat/* branches are upstream of dev
• dev is upstream of main
• hotfix/* branches are upstream of main and must also be merged into dev immediately after
• main and dev are protected — no direct pushes, all changes via reviewed PR

Branch Creation Rules

Feature Branch

1. Always branch off dev
2. Name: feat/<descriptive-name> (e.g. feat/user-authentication, feat/payment-redesign)
3. Names should clearly reflect the scope of work — no ticket reference required
4. Only fully complete features may be merged into dev — no incomplete or half-finished work

git checkout dev
git pull origin dev
git checkout -b feat/<feature-name>

Hotfix Branch

1. Reserved strictly for emergency production fixes only — not for features or non-critical changes
2. Always branch off main
3. Name: hotfix/<issue-name> (e.g. hotfix/login-crash, hotfix/payment-timeout)

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b hotfix/<issue-name>

Merge Rules

Scenario	Merge Target	Then Also
Feature complete	feat/* → dev via PR	—
Hotfix complete	hotfix/* → main via PR	Immediately merge into dev
Release to production	dev → main via PR	—

PR Requirements

• All merges into dev and main must go through a Pull Request
• PRs must be reviewed and approved before merging
• PR descriptions should clearly state purpose and context
• Merge conflicts: Author must rebase against latest upstream and resolve before requesting review

Quick Reference

Scenario	Action
Starting new feature work	Branch off dev → feat/your-feature-name
Finished a feature	PR from feat/* → dev, review, merge, delete branch
Emergency production fix	Branch off main → hotfix/issue-name, PR to main, then to dev
Releasing to production	PR from dev → main, review, merge
Merge conflicts on PR	Rebase against latest upstream, resolve conflicts, push

Validation Checklist

Before creating a branch, verify:

• Correct base branch (dev for features, main for hotfixes)
• Correct prefix (feat/ or hotfix/)
• Descriptive name that reflects the scope
• For hotfixes: this is genuinely an emergency production fix