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Naming branches

When contributing to existing projects, look for and stick with the agreed branch naming convention. In open-source projects, this information is typically found in the contributing instructions, often in a file named CONTRIBUTING.md.

In the beginning of a new project, the team agrees on the project conventions including the branch naming strategy.

Here's an example of a branch naming convention:

<user alias>/[feature/bug/hotfix]/<work item ID>\_<title>

This could translate to something as follows:

dickinson/feature/271\_add\_more\_cowbell

The example above is just that - an example. The team can choose to omit or add parts. Choosing a branch convention can depend on the development model (e.g. trunk-based development), versioning model, tools used in managing source control, a matter of taste, etc. Focus on simplicity and reducing ambiguity; a good branch naming strategy allows the team to understand the purpose and ownership of each branch in the repository.