However, one of the biggest issues with Git is that it takes time and effort to manage your repositories. For example, committing and synchronizing these repositories can take two to three git commands. This makes managing them not only tedious but also prone to user error. Here we show you a few simple, yet effective Git hooks to better manage your repositories. Note: yYou can also manage Git in Emacs. Learn how!
What Are Git Hooks?
At its core, git-hook is a flexible subcommand that you can use to create custom scripts that run whenever Git performs an action on a repository. For example, it is possible to use hook to automatically check your repository for style errors before you even commit with it. The hook subcommand works by reading the “hooks” folder under your repository’s “.git” directory. This folder contains a number of pre-made files that provide a sample script for every action in Git that you can automate. For the most part, you can write a git hook in any scripting language you wish. This makes it incredibly flexible and approachable for any software developer. Tip: to get started with Git, you will need to set up Git’s username and email first. Find out how in this guide.
1. Prevent Pushing to Master
One of the most common mistakes that a user makes in Git is to push a commit from a development branch directly to master. This can be incredibly frustrating if you are using Github to track and maintain your projects. You can prevent this issue by creating a “pre-push” Git hook that will check and confirm whenever you try to push a repository from the master branch.
2. Reject Pushes to the Master Branch
Aside from preventing yourself from pushing to the master, you can also create a server-side hook that will reject any pushes to its master branch. This is incredibly useful if you are sharing a repository with multiple developers. Fix this by creating a “pre-receive” hook that will automatically prevent any restricted user from pushing to the master branch. Tip: you can also use Git alias to make Git usage more efficient.
3. Lock the Repository from Rebasing
Another common mistake that a user makes in Git is rebasing the currently active branch. This can be a frustrating issue if you are working on a repository with multiple contributors, as rebasing will remove the commits that other users have made. You can prevent this issue by creating a “pre-rebase” hook that will check whether the current branch is locked.
4. Force a Style and Syntax Check on Your Code
One of the most helpful uses of a Git hook is by linking it with a code linter. This is a simple program that checks whether your code follows the style and format for a project.
5. Automatically Notify Users with Repository Changes
Lastly, you can also create a Git hook that will automatically send an e-mail whenever your repository receives a new commit. This is helpful if you want to create a simple notification system for your repository. Image credit: Unsplash. All alterations and screenshots Ramces Red.
