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Conventional Commits Quick Reference

Changelog

Date Change Description
May 1, 2026 Added the notes about conventional commits rules and best practices

Commit Structure

Part Required Description Example
Type Yes Nature of change feat, fix
Scope No Area/module affected (auth), (ui)
Description Yes Short summary (imperative) add login flow
Body No Why + context Explains reasoning
Footer Yes Metadata / breaking / issues Closes #12

Commit Message Template

<type>[scope]: <description>

[body]

[footer]

Commit Types

Type Use Case Example
feat New feature feat: add search bar
fix Bug fix fix: handle null response
docs Docs only docs: update README
style Formatting style: fix indentation
refactor Code restructure refactor: simplify auth logic
perf Performance perf: optimize query
test Tests test: add login tests
build Build/deps build: upgrade webpack
ci CI/CD ci: add GitHub Actions
chore Maintenance chore: clean temp files

Scope Examples

Scope Meaning Example
auth Authentication module feat(auth): add OAuth
ui Frontend UI fix(ui): align button
api Backend/API feat(api): add endpoint

Description Rules

Rule Example to Follow Example to Avoid
Imperative mood add login feature added login feature
Short (~50 chars) fix crash on load Too long
No period update config update config.
Lowercase fix typo Fix Typo

Body Guidelines

Use the body to explain why, not just what. For example:

fix: prevent crash on empty input

Check for null values before parsing to avoid runtime errors.

Breaking Changes

Two ways to indicate breaking changes:

1. ! after type/scope

feat!: drop v1 API

2. Footer

feat(api): change response format

BREAKING CHANGE: response is now an object instead of array
Purpose Example
Close issue Closes #123
Reference Refs #456
Breaking BREAKING CHANGE: ...

🧠 Best Practices

  • One logical change per commit
  • Use consistent types
  • Use scopes when helpful
  • Avoid vague messages like update stuff
  • Write messages that make sense in changelogs

References

  1. https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/