The git commit command captures a snapshot of the project’s currently staged changes. Committed snapshots can be thought of as “safe” versions of a project. Git will never change them unless you explicitly ask it to.

Assuming you have already the basic understanding of Git workflow

Why you should write a better commit message?

You might say, “It’s just a personal project.” Yes, you work alone now, but what happens when you work with a team or contribute to open source?

Have you ever tried running git log on one of your old projects to see the “weird” commit messages you have used since its inception? It can be hard to understand what you have changed in past and why you made those changes in the past.

For example - 'Fix style' 6 months ago

“yep….even you don’t have the absolute idea about this commit”

Commit messages can adequately communicate why a change was made, and understanding that makes development and collaboration more efficient.

The analysis of a Commit message

Basic

git commit -m <message>

Detailed

git commit -m <title> -m <description>

Example

git add README
git commit -m "Add Readme file"

To write better commits, consider the following points:

• Why have I made these changes?
• What effect have my changes made?
• Why was the change needed?
• What are the changes in reference to?

How to write good commit messages

• Specify the type of commit:

Example

git commit -m "Fix (SRE-100): Bug preventing users from submitting the subscribe form"

• Remove unnecessary punctuation marks
• Do not assume the reviewer understands what the original problem was, ensure you add it.
• Follow the commit convention defined by your team

The most important part of a commit message is that it should be clear and meaningful.

Read more about coventional git commit messages here

Here are some examples of good and bad commits

Good 👍

• Feat: Improve performance with lazy load implementation for images
• Chore: update npm dependency to latest version
• Fix: bug preventing users from submitting the subscribe form
• Update: incorrect client phone number within footer body per client request

Bad 👎

• fixed bug on landing page
• Changed style
• oops
• I think I fixed it this time?
• empty commit messages

References

Below are the some excellent resources which help you to enhance your git knowledge and to become a professional “VCS”:

• https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/set-up-git
• https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2
• https://learngitbranching.js.org/