How to avoid breaking the app after a GitHub update?

 
Step 1: Protect Your Main Branch Using Branch Policies
 

• Open your GitHub repository in a browser.
• Click on “Settings” at the top of the repo page.
• Select “Branches” from the sidebar.
• Under “Branch protection rules,” click “Add rule.”
• Set the rule to protect main (or master) branch:

Branch name pattern: main
Require pull request reviews before merging: ✔️
Require status checks to pass before merging: ✔️
Include administrators: ✔️

 
Step 2: Create and Work in Feature Branches
 

• Always create a new branch for every update or bugfix to isolate changes.
• Use a naming convention like feature/your-feature-name or bugfix/issue-123.

// Clone the repo (if you haven’t already)
git clone https://github.com/username/repo.git
cd repo

// Create a new feature branch
git checkout -b feature/add-login-form

• Commit your work frequently with clear messages:

git add .
git commit -m "feat: add basic login form and validation"

 
Step 3: Keep Your Local Branch Up to Date
 

• Before you start a new session, fetch and merge remote updates to avoid conflicts:

git fetch origin
git checkout main
git pull origin main

// Rebase your feature branch onto the updated main
git checkout feature/add-login-form
git rebase main

• If rebase conflicts occur, resolve them, then continue:

# After fixing conflicts in files:
git add 
git rebase --continue

 
Step 4: Run Automated Tests Locally
 

• Ensure you have a test suite (unit, integration, end-to-end) configured.
• Install dependencies:

npm install
# or
yarn install

• Run all tests before pushing:

npm test
# or for Jest:
npm run test:watch

• Fix any failing tests immediately to prevent broken builds.

 
Step 5: Use Continuous Integration (CI) Pipelines
 

• Create a CI configuration file in your repo, e.g. .github/workflows/ci.yml:

name: CI Pipeline

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]
jobs:
  build-and-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '16'
    - run: npm install
    - run: npm test

• CI will automatically run tests on every pull request. Only merge if ✅ passes.

 
Step 6: Submit Pull Request and Conduct Code Review
 

• Push your feature branch to GitHub:

git push --set-upstream origin feature/add-login-form

• Open a Pull Request (PR) against main.
• Request reviews from teammates and address comments:

// After changes based on feedback
git add .
git commit -m "fix: address review comments"
git push

• Wait for CI success status and at least one approval before merging.

 
Step 7: Merge Safely and Monitor Production
 

• Merge via GitHub’s “Merge” button once CI and reviews pass.
• Pull changes back into your local main:

git checkout main
git pull origin main

• Trigger your deployment pipeline (if configured) or deploy manually.
• Monitor logs and application health post-deployment:

// Example: Tail logs on a Linux server
ssh user@server "tail -f /var/log/app.log"

• If you encounter issues, revert quickly:

# On GitHub you can click “Revert” in the merged PR
git revert 
git push origin main