Conventional Commits

Write commit messages that are clear, consistent, and helpful for your team.

Basic Format

type: description

# Example:
feat: add user login button
fix: resolve header styling issue
docs: update setup instructions

Common Types

Main Types:

feat: New feature or functionality
fix: Bug fix
docs: Documentation changes
style: Code formatting (no logic changes)
refactor: Code improvement (no new features)
test: Adding or updating tests
chore: Build tasks, dependencies, etc.

With Scope (Optional)

Add scope in parentheses for more context:

# Component-specific changes
git commit -m "feat(auth): add password reset flow"
git commit -m "fix(header): resolve mobile menu bug"

# Feature-specific changes
git commit -m "feat(dashboard): add user statistics"
git commit -m "fix(payment): handle failed transactions"

# File-specific changes
git commit -m "docs(readme): add installation guide"
git commit -m "test(api): add user endpoint tests"
```f

## Real Examples from Our Workflow

### Feature Development:
```bash
# Working on user authentication
git commit -m "feat(auth): add login form component"
git commit -m "feat(auth): implement JWT token handling"
git commit -m "feat(auth): add logout functionality"

Bug Fixes:

# Fixing issues found in testing
git commit -m "fix(ui): resolve button spacing issue"
git commit -m "fix(api): handle empty response error"
git commit -m "fix(mobile): fix responsive layout"

Documentation:

# Updating project docs
git commit -m "docs: add component usage examples"
git commit -m "docs(api): document authentication endpoints"
git commit -m "docs: update contributing guidelines"

Breaking Changes

For major changes that break existing functionality:

# Add exclamation mark
git commit -m "feat!: change API response format"
git commit -m "refactor!: update user data structure"

# Or use BREAKING CHANGE in body
git commit -m "feat: update user authentication

BREAKING CHANGE: Login endpoint now requires email instead of username"

Multi-line Commits

For more complex changes:

git commit -m "feat(payment): add Stripe integration

- Add Stripe SDK configuration
- Implement payment form component
- Add error handling for failed payments
- Update user dashboard to show payment status

Closes #123"

Linking to Issues

Connect commits to GitHub issues:

# Reference issue
git commit -m "fix(auth): resolve login timeout issue

Fixes #45"

# Multiple issues
git commit -m "feat(dashboard): add user statistics

Implements #67, #68, #69"

# Close issue
git commit -m "feat(api): add user search endpoint

Closes #91"

Quick Reference

What Makes a Good Commit:

Clear: Easy to understand what changed
Specific: Focused on one change
Consistent: Follows the same format
Helpful: Useful for reviewing history

Examples of Good vs Bad:

Good:

feat(auth): add password reset functionality
fix(ui): resolve header overlap on mobile
docs(api): add authentication examples

Bad:

stuff
fixed things
wip
update

Team Benefits

Why This Helps:

Code Reviews: Reviewers understand changes quickly
Release Notes: Automatically generate from commit types
Bug Tracking: Easy to find when bugs were introduced
History: Clean, readable project history

Tools Integration:

GitHub: Automatically links commits to issues
Release Tools: Generate changelogs from commit types
CI/CD: Trigger different actions based on commit type

Keep it simple and be consistent! Your future self (and teammates) will thank you!

AI-Powered Commit Message Generation

VS Code can automatically generate conventional commit messages for your changes using GitHub Copilot (requires a paid GitHub plan). This feature analyzes your staged changes and suggests appropriate commit messages that follow conventional commit standards.

How to Use:

Stage Your Changes: Add the files you want to commit to the staging area
Open Source Control: Navigate to the Source Control panel in VS Code
Generate Message: Click the sparkle icon (✨) next to the commit message box
Review & Commit: VS Code will analyze your changes and suggest a conventional commit message

VS Code commit message generation interface

Generated Result:

The AI will create properly formatted conventional commits based on your actual code changes:

Example of AI-generated conventional commit message

When This Feature is Most Helpful:

Large Changes: When you have multiple files with different types of changes
Complex Refactoring: AI can identify the main purpose of your refactoring
Learning: Great for teams new to conventional commits
Consistency: Ensures all team members follow the same format

Remember: Always review the generated message to ensure it accurately describes your changes!