How to Map CI to GitFlow Branches

GitFlow uses five branch types; CI must trigger different pipelines per type, from test-only on feature branches to production deploy on main.

GitFlow separates feature/*, develop, release/*, hotfix/*, and main. Each maps to a CI intent: test on feature and develop, build a candidate on release, deploy to production on main. Use branch filters to route the right jobs.

Branch to CI mapping

Workflow

on:
  push:
    branches: [develop, main, 'release/**', 'hotfix/**']
  pull_request:
    branches: [develop]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: npm ci && npm test
  deploy-staging:
    needs: test
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/develop'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: ./deploy.sh staging
  deploy-prod:
    needs: test
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: ./deploy.sh production

Gotchas

• GitFlow adds ceremony; for continuous delivery, trunk-based or GitHub Flow is usually simpler.
• Keep hotfix and release branches short-lived to avoid painful merge-backs into develop.

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