How I Use Git Branching to Organize SaaS Development
Managing multiple SaaS projects means juggling features, fixes, and releases across different environments. Even though I’m a solo developer, I treat my Git setup like a small team’s — simple, predictable, and built for safety. This is how I keep everything clean using just a few key branches.
My Core Branches I only use three main branches across all my projects: production → deployed live to users main → stable, tested, ready to go dev → where I test, experiment, and integrate new features Everything else — features, fixes, and chores — branches off from dev.
The Flow Here’s the flow I follow for almost every project:
- Start new work from dev
git checkout dev git checkout -b feature/add-api-endpoint
- Commit changes and test in a Vercel preview
- Merge back into dev once it’s working
- When dev is stable, merge dev → main
- When it’s ready for release, merge main → production
This gives me a clear promotion path — from experiment → stable → deployed.
Why I Separate Production Vercel tracks my production branch as the live deployment target. This extra branch gives me safety:
- I can test changes on main before they go live
- I can hotfix production without disrupting active development
- I can roll back instantly if something breaks
It’s a tiny bit more structure that prevents huge headaches.
Feature Branch Naming I keep my branches short and descriptive: feature/add-billing-page fix/email-template-path chore/update-dependencies This makes my Git history read like a changelog. When I look back months later, I know exactly what changed and why.
Why It Works for Solo Development Even though I work alone, this setup gives me:
- Safety — nothing breaks live accidentally
- Clarity — branches tell the story of progress
- Confidence — easy rollbacks and previews for every change
It also scales perfectly if I ever bring in collaborators. They can instantly see how work flows from idea to production.
Wrap-Up You don’t need a huge Git flow diagram to stay organized. A simple three-branch model — dev, main, and production — is more than enough. It keeps your SaaS projects clean, your deploys safe, and your history readable. Structure doesn’t slow you down. It makes sure your momentum never crashes into chaos.
Read the full article here: https://medium.com/@joseph.goins/how-i-use-git-branching-to-organize-saas-development-50fea496a4f8