Structuring Your Git Repositories for Client Customization: Best Practices

Описание: Discover effective ways to structure your `Git` repositories for client-specific microapps. Learn how to manage shared libraries, updates, and customization with ease.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/71083260/ asked by the user 'El Cree' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/2197126/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/71083435/ provided by the user 'Lazy Badger' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/960558/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Structuring Your Git Repositories for Client Customization: Best Practices

Managing several microapps and their common libraries while providing custom solutions for clients can be quite challenging. If you’re not a Git expert, the structure of your repositories can become complex and confusing. In this guide, we’ll address a commonly asked question: How should you structure your Git repositories when dealing with multiple clients and microapps? We will provide actionable solutions to make your life easier.

The Core of the Problem

You have a collection of microapps and a library containing common functionalities. You've set up a repository for each microapp and its associated library, but you're struggling to figure out how to best include the library in your microapps. You also need a structure that allows you to customize microapps for clients while making it easy to update and manage shared components.

Your Current Repository Structure

Currently, your repository setup looks a bit like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

While this setup works, it raises questions on how to effectively manage client repositories and maintain version control during updates.

Solutions to Consider

Let’s break down the solutions for your two main challenges: including the library and structuring client repositories.

1. Including the Library in Microapps

Instead of using Git submodules, which can complicate things, consider using Git subtree. Git subtree allows you to merge repository content into another repository with the ability to pull updates easily.

Benefits of Git subtree:

Simplifies merging changes from the library repository.

Provides an easy way to pull the latest changes into each microapp without the complexities of submodules.

Steps to Implement Git Subtree

Add the library as a remote in your microapp repository.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Use subtree commands to pull the library into your microapp:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Whenever you need to update the library, run the pull command:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

2. Structuring Client Repositories

For each client, it’s advisable to create a separate repository that forks from the base repository of the microapp. This approach enables client-specific customization while maintaining a connection to the base code for updates.

Benefits of Forking:

Your clients can have their own custom features while you retain the ability to pull essential updates from the base repository.

Simplified merging of updates: After making changes to the base microapp, clients can pull updates without affecting their custom code.

Suggested Structure for Client Repositories

You might structure client repositories as follows:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

3. Implementing Changes and Updates

To propagate updates made in the main repositories to client repositories:

Once updates are made in the base microapp repository, commit those changes.

In the client’s forked repository, pull the updates from the base repository:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Resolve any merge conflicts that arise from client customizations.

Final Thoughts

Managing microapp repositories and custom client projects doesn't have to be a daunting task in Git. By using * Git subtree* and implementing a structure that accommodates easy forking and updating, you can maintain common code while catering to custom client needs. Yes, it may involve some setup initially, but the benefits will simplify your workflow significantly.

By following these best practices, you ensure a clean, organized, and efficient process in managing you