About Conventional Commits
Conventional Commits is a specification for writing commit messages in a standard form. The format makes history easier for people and machines to read.
What it does
Each commit message starts with a type, an optional scope and a short description, such as fix or feat. A breaking change is marked with a footer or an exclamation mark. Tools can read these markers to decide the next version number and to write changelogs. The specification builds on Semantic Versioning, so a fix maps to a patch release and a feature maps to a minor release.
Key features
- Type, scope and description format
- Breaking change markers
- Maps to Semantic Versioning numbers
- Optional body and footers
- Can be checked by linting tools
Who it's for
The specification suits teams that want a clear commit history and automated release notes. It is also useful for open source maintainers who accept contributions from many people.
Pricing and good to know
The specification is published under the MIT license, so teams can adopt it at no cost. It is a convention rather than a program, so it works best when the team agrees on it and uses checks in its tooling. Other types besides fix and feat are allowed, and the specification lists common examples.
Highlights
- Adds a type and scope to each commit message
- Marks breaking changes in a footer
- Maps commit types to version numbers
- Can be checked by linting tools
