Why Good Commit Messages Matter, Even For Solo Developers
Published: 2023-11-06 18:03:58

In a dimly lit room, Alan, a solo developer, feverishly typed away on his keyboard. His project, a nifty new JavaScript library, was growing more intricate by the day. But as he committed his code, his messages were brief snippets: "fix", "update", "done". It was just him, after all. Who else needed to understand his hurried notes?

Fast forward a few months. Alan decided to revisit a previous module in his library, but he was greeted with a labyrinth of cryptic commit messages. What had "quick fix" meant? Why had he made that "important update"? The decisions that seemed obvious in the heat of coding had vanished from his memory.

The tale of Alan is all too common among solo developers. The value of comprehensive commit messages is often overlooked, especially when you're flying solo. But in reality, they can be a lifeline in many scenarios. Let's dive into the reasons.

1. A Digital Diary for the Coder's Mind Your commit messages act as a running diary, charting the journey of your project's evolution. Detailed commit messages allow you to jump back in time, understanding the why behind every change. It's the difference between opening a dusty diary filled with evocative entries versus one that only reads, "Did stuff."

2. Fostering Future Collaboration Today, you might be a solo developer. Tomorrow, you might decide to open-source your project or bring in a collaborator. Comprehensive commit messages ease the onboarding process, sparing your collaborators from countless hours of trawling through code to decipher its evolution.

3. Faster Debugging and Problem-Solving Imagine discovering a bug that traces back a few months. Without informative commit messages, identifying when (and more importantly, why) that bug was introduced can be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. However, with a well-documented commit history, you can quickly pinpoint and understand past changes, accelerating the debugging process.

4. Code Reviews and Knowledge Sharing Even for solo developers, reviewing your own code after intervals can provide fresh perspectives. Here, meaningful commit messages act as guiding posts, offering context and insights. You might even discover patterns in your coding or areas for optimization, all thanks to the detailed story your commits narrate.

5. Enhancing Professionalism and Discipline Writing articulate commit messages cultivates discipline. Just as a researcher wouldn't publish a paper without footnotes, a developer, solo or not, shouldn't push code without explaining the rationale. [Such practices not only uplift your coding ethos but also reflect professionalism](https://www.getchangeup.com/blog/cutting_through_the_noise%E2%80%93how_to_write_a_changelog_that_gets_read) and preparedness for collaborative environments.

In the Midst of Coding, Pause and Reflect In our tale, Alan eventually realized the importance of meaningful commit messages. He began to approach them as mini-essays, capturing the essence of his decisions. Over time, he found himself referencing them regularly, saving time and avoiding frustration.

It's tempting to treat commit messages as an afterthought, especially when no immediate audience is in sight. But remember, the most crucial audience you're addressing might just be a future version of yourself. Solo developers aren't exempt from the trials and tribulations of revisiting past code. By giving commit messages the attention they deserve, you're setting yourself up for smoother, more informed coding journeys. After all, every line of code tells a story; make sure yours has a detailed narration.

[Changeup helps automate the creation of changelogs.](https://getchangeup.com)