Crafting effective commit comments is an essential skill for any developer working with Git. Here are some best practices to help you write high-quality commit comments:
Commit comments should be concise and focused, providing just enough information to convey the purpose and context of the changes. Avoid including unnecessary details or extraneous information.
Use the Imperative Mood
When writing commit comments, use the imperative mood (e.g., "Add new user authentication feature" rather than "Added new user authentication feature"). This helps to maintain a consistent and clear tone throughout the project's commit history.
Provide Relevant Context
Include relevant context in your commit comments, such as the problem being addressed, the reasoning behind the changes, and any trade-offs or design decisions that were considered. This information can be invaluable for other developers working on the project.
If your commit is related to a specific issue or pull request, be sure to include a reference to it in the commit comment. This can be done by including the issue or pull request number in the footer of the commit comment, as shown in the example below:
Refactor login function to improve performance
The login function was updated to use a more efficient algorithm for checking user credentials. This should result in faster login times and improved overall system performance.
Resolves #123
Maintain a consistent formatting style for your commit comments, following the standard structure of a subject line, body, and (optional) footer. This makes it easier for other developers to quickly understand and parse the information in your commit comments.
Resist the temptation to include information that is already available elsewhere, such as the list of files changed or the specific changes made. Focus on providing the "what" and the "why" rather than the "how".
By following these best practices, you can ensure that your commit comments are clear, concise, and valuable for both you and your team, helping to maintain the overall health and viability of your software project.