Structure of a Good Git Commit

Writing clear and professional Git commits is more than a habit—it’s a skill that makes collaboration smoother, code history readable, and debugging easier. Here’s a concise guide to crafting quality commits.

🔹 Structure of a Good Commit

A professional commit usually consists of:

• Type – what kind of change it is (feature, fix, docs, etc.)
• Short message – 50 characters max, written in imperative tone (e.g., “Add login validation”)
• Optional detailed description – wrap text at 72 characters for readability, explaining why the change was made

🔹 Common Commit Types

feat:   Adding a new feature

fix:    Bug fix

docs:   Documentation-only changes

style:  Formatting, missing semicolons, whitespace

refactor:   Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature

test:   Adding or updating tests

chore:  Maintenance tasks (configs, dependencies) 

🔹 Good commits

feat: add user authentication

fix: resolve crash on profile update

docs: update README with installation steps

style: format code with Prettier

refactor: simplify dashboard component logic

test: add unit tests for login reducer

chore: update project dependencies

🔹 Pro Tips

• Always use imperative mood: e.g., Add feature instead of Added feature
• Keep your commits focused: one commit = one purpose
• Include context in the description when necessary