How to: Commit Messages - ChangeLaterX/Cookify GitHub Wiki

See how a minor change to your commit message style can make a difference.

Commit Message Formats

Default

<type>(<optional scope>): <description>
empty separator line
<optional body>
empty separator line
<optional footer>

Merge Commit

Merge branch '<branch name>'

Follows default git merge message

Revert Commit

Revert "<reverted commit subject line>"

Follows default git revert message

Initial Commit

chore: init

Types

  • API or UI relevant changes
    • feat Commits, that add or remove a new feature to the API or UI
    • fix Commits, that fix an API or UI bug of a preceded feat commit
  • refactor Commits, that rewrite/restructure your code, however do not change any API or UI behaviour
    • perf Commits are special refactor commits, that improve performance
  • style Commits, that do not affect the meaning (white-space, formatting, missing semi-colons, etc)
  • test Commits, that add missing tests or correcting existing tests
  • docs Commits, that affect documentation only
  • build Commits, that affect build components like build tools, dependencies, project version, ci pipelines, ...
  • ops Commits, that affect operational components like infrastructure, deployment, backup, recovery, ...
  • chore Miscellaneous commits e.g. modifying .gitignore

Scopes

The scope provides additional contextual information.

  • Is an optional part of the format
  • Allowed Scopes depend on the specific project
  • Don't use issue identifiers as scopes

Breaking Changes Indicator

Breaking changes should be indicated by an ! before the : in the subject line e.g. feat(api)!: remove status endpoint

Description

The description contains a concise description of the change.

  • It is a mandatory part of the format
  • Use the imperative, present tense: "change" not "changed" nor "changes"
    • Think of This commit will... or This commit should...
  • Don't capitalize the first letter
  • No dot (.) at the end

Body

The body should include the motivation for the change and contrast this with previous behavior.

  • Is an optional part of the format
  • Use the imperative, present tense: "change" not "changed" nor "changes"
  • This is the place to mention issue identifiers and their relations

Footer

The footer should contain any information about Breaking Changes and is also the place to reference Issues that this commit refers to.

  • Is an optional part of the format
  • optionally reference an issue by its id.
  • Breaking Changes should start with the word BREAKING CHANGE: followed by space or two newlines. The rest of the commit message is then used for this.

Versioning

  • If your next release contains commit with...
    • breaking changes incremented the major version
    • API relevant changes (feat or fix) incremented the minor version
  • Else increment the patch version

Examples

  • feat: add email notifications on new direct messages

  • feat(shopping cart): add the amazing button

  • feat!: remove ticket list endpoint

refers to JIRA-1337

BREAKING CHANGE: ticket endpoints no longer supports list all entities.

  • fix(shopping-cart): prevent order an empty shopping cart

  • fix(api): fix wrong calculation of request body checksum

  • fix: add missing parameter to service call

The error occurred due to <reasons>.

  • perf: decrease memory footprint for determine unique visitors by using HyperLogLog

  • build: update dependencies

  • build(release): bump version to 1.0.0

  • refactor: implement fibonacci number calculation as recursion

  • style: remove empty line
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