Working with atomic git commits means your commits are of the smallest possible size. Each commit does one, and only one simple thing, that can be summed up in a simple sentence. The amount of code change doesnt matter. It can be a letter or it can be a hundred thousand lines, but you should be able to describe the change with one simple short sentence. Ideally, you also want your test suite to be in the green when you commit. Your changes might be atomic, i.e the smallest possible, but they should also be complete, which means your test suite always follow through. As small as possible, but complete: this is an atomic git commit. There are a few great advantages to practicing atomic git commits, and well briefly detail them. But the last one really is the most important. It might completely change the way you approach your work, increase your productivity by an order of magnitude, and make your job much more enjoyable. Reason number 1: An atomic change is a reversible change. We all know this simple truth, but do we always apply it to our work? Would you be comfortable pushing a commit directly to production if you knew it could break something and you wouldnt be able to revert to a previous state? When your changes are atomic, you can easily identify which commit introduced a bug and revert it. This gives you more confidence to experiment and make changes, knowing that you can always go back. Reason number 2: Atomic commits make code reviews easier. When your commits are small and focused on a single change, its much easier for your colleagues to review them. They can quickly understand the purpose of each commit, provide feedback, and approve it with confidence. In contrast, large and complex commits can be overwhelming to review, leading to missed bugs or inconsistencies. Reason number 3: Atomic commits improve collaboration. By breaking down your work into small, manageable pieces, you enable better collaboration with your team. Each commit represents a clear and specific improvement to the codebase, making it easier for others to understand and build upon your work. This encourages knowledge sharing, reduces code duplication, and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Reason number 4: An atomic commit history is a valuable learning resource. When your commit history is filled with small, well-documented changes, it becomes a valuable resource for yourself and others. You can easily track the evolution of a feature, understand why certain decisions were made, and learn from past mistakes. This can be especially helpful for new team members who are trying to familiarize themselves with the codebase. In conclusion, practicing atomic git commits can have a significant impact on your productivity, collaboration, and code quality. By focusing on small, reversible changes, you can work more efficiently, improve communication within your team, and create a more maintainable codebase. So next time you sit down to write some code, remember the power of atomic commits and how they can help you become a better developer.
