Good commit messages make code reviews faster, debugging easier, and teammates happier. This guide covers the standard commit message format, conventional commits, and the rules that separate professional teams from amateur ones.
In this guide
Separate subject from body with a blank line. Limit the subject line to 50 characters. Capitalize the subject line. Do not end the subject line with a period. Use the imperative mood ("Add feature" not "Added feature"). Wrap the body at 72 characters. Use the body to explain what and why, not how. These rules make git log readable and make your history useful as documentation.
The Conventional Commits spec is the industry standard: type(scope): description. Types: feat (new feature), fix (bug fix), docs (documentation), style (formatting), refactor (code restructure without feature change), test (adding tests), chore (build process, dependencies). Examples: feat(auth): add Google OAuth login — fix(api): handle null user in booking endpoint — chore: upgrade Next.js to 14.2. This format enables automated changelogs and semantic versioning.
Not every commit needs a body — but when the why is not obvious, explain it. Bad: "Fix login bug". Good subject: "Fix session not persisting after OAuth callback" — Good body: "The OAuth callback was setting the session cookie before the redirect, causing browsers to drop it. Setting the cookie after the redirect response resolves this for Chrome and Safari. Firefox was unaffected." The body is for future-you and your teammates.
Link commits to work items: "Fixes #123" or "Closes #456" in the commit body automatically closes the linked GitHub issue when merged to the default branch. "See #789" creates a reference without closing. "Co-authored-by: Name <email>" credits a pair programming partner. These links create traceable connections between code changes and the business reasons behind them.
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