Commit Message

Good commit messages are essential for understanding project history and collaborating effectively.

Conventional Commits

Format

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Types

• feat: New feature
• fix: Bug fix
• docs: Documentation changes
• style: Code style changes (formatting, semicolons, etc.)
• refactor: Code refactoring
• perf: Performance improvements
• test: Adding or updating tests
• chore: Maintenance tasks
• ci: CI/CD changes

Examples

Good Commit Messages

feat(auth): add OAuth2 integration with Google

Implemented Google OAuth2 authentication flow including:
- Login button component
- Token exchange service
- User profile synchronization

Closes #123

fix(cart): resolve checkout calculation error

Fixed rounding error in tax calculation that caused
checkout totals to be incorrect for orders over $1000.

The issue was caused by premature rounding before
applying the tax multiplier.

Fixes #456

refactor: simplify user validation logic

Extracted validation rules into separate functions
for better testability and reusability.

Avoid

"Fixed stuff"
"WIP"
"asdf"
"Updated code"

Best Practices

Do

• Use imperative mood ("add" not "added")
• Keep subject line under 50 characters
• Separate subject from body with blank line
• Wrap body at 72 characters
• Explain what and why, not how

Don't

• Mix multiple unrelated changes
• Use generic messages
• Include unnecessary details
• Forget to reference issues/tickets

Atomic Commits

Each commit should represent one logical change:

• Easier to review
• Easier to revert
• Clearer history
• Better for cherry-picking

Tools

• Commitizen: Interactive commit message CLI
• Commitlint: Enforce commit conventions
• Git hooks: Validate messages before commit