How to create a branch in Git

Short answer

Use git branch <name> to create a branch, or git checkout -b <name> to create and switch to it immediately.

Steps

1. Create a branch:

git branch feature-login

2. Create and switch:

git checkout -b feature-login

3. With newer Git:

git switch -c feature-login

4. Push the new branch to remote:

git push -u origin feature-login

Tips

• Use descriptive branch names like feature/user-auth or fix/login-bug.
• Delete old branches with git branch -d feature-login after merging.
• List all branches with git branch -a.

Common issues

• Creating a branch from the wrong base: switch to the correct parent branch first.
• Branch name conflicts: choose unique names to avoid confusion.