Git for Test Engineers: From Basics to Team Collaboration

A hands-on, practical course designed specifically for test engineers who want to master Git version control. Learn to manage test automation code, collaborate with development teams, handle merge conflicts in test suites, and implement modern workflows. This course uses real test automation projects to teach Git concepts, ensuring you gain skills directly applicable to your daily testing work.

🎯 What You’ll Learn

• Confidently use Git to version control test automation projects
• Create, manage, and merge branches for different test features
• Collaborate effectively with team members using remote repositories
• Resolve merge conflicts in test code and configuration files
• Apply professional Git workflows (GitFlow, Trunk-Based Development)
• Use advanced Git features like rebase, stash, cherry-pick, and bisect for test maintenance
• Integrate AI tools with Git for code review and test generation
• Follow best practices for commit messages and branch naming in testing contexts
• Recover from common Git mistakes without losing test code
• Set up and maintain test automation repositories for team collaboration

👥 Target Audience

Test engineers, QA automation engineers, and SDET professionals who are new to Git or want to strengthen their version control skills for managing test code and collaborating in agile teams.

⏱️ Estimated Time

24 hours

📋 Prerequisites

• Basic command line/terminal familiarity
• Basic understanding of test automation concepts
• A computer with Git installed (installation guide provided)
• GitHub account (free tier)
• Text editor or IDE installed (VS Code recommended)

📚 Course Modules

1. Introduction to Git and Version Control for Testing - Understand why version control is critical for test automation projects. Learn the fundamental concepts of Git, set up your environment, and make your first commits with test scripts. Explore how Git solves common problems test engineers face: tracking changes in test cases, collaborating on automation frameworks, and maintaining test data.
2. Understanding Git’s Three Areas: Working, Staging, and Repository - Master the fundamental workflow of Git by understanding the three core areas. Learn how test files move through Working Directory, Staging Area, and Repository. Practice selective staging to commit only relevant test changes, and understand how to inspect and manipulate files at each stage.
3. Branching and Switching: Isolated Test Development - Learn to create and manage branches for developing new test features, fixing bugs, and experimenting with test frameworks without affecting the main test suite. Understand branch strategies specific to test automation projects and practice switching between different testing contexts.
4. Merging Branches: Integrating Test Changes - Combine test changes from different branches back into the main test suite. Learn different merge strategies, understand fast-forward vs. three-way merges, and practice merging test features developed in parallel. Handle simple merge scenarios and preview merge results before committing.
5. Rebasing: Creating Clean Test History - Master rebasing to maintain a linear, clean history in your test automation projects. Learn when rebasing is preferable to merging, how to rebase feature branches onto updated main branches, and practice interactive rebasing to clean up test commits before sharing with the team.
6. Merge vs Rebase: Choosing the Right Strategy - Compare merge and rebase strategies side-by-side using real test automation scenarios. Understand the trade-offs between preserving complete history vs. maintaining clean linear history. Learn team conventions and when each approach is most appropriate for test projects.
7. Remote Repositories: Collaborating on Test Automation - Connect your local test repository to remote platforms like GitHub and GitLab. Learn to push test changes, pull updates from teammates, manage remote branches, and collaborate effectively on shared test automation projects. Set up CI/CD integration basics for automated test execution.
8. Fixing Mistakes and Resolving Merge Conflicts - Learn to handle the inevitable: mistakes and conflicts in test code. Practice undoing commits, recovering deleted test files, and resolving merge conflicts in test scripts, configuration files, and test data. Build confidence in recovering from common Git problems without losing work.
9. Common Team Workflows: GitFlow and Trunk-Based Development - Implement professional Git workflows used by testing teams worldwide. Compare GitFlow (feature, develop, release, hotfix branches) with Trunk-Based Development for test projects. Learn when each workflow suits different team sizes and release cycles, with practical setup for test automation teams.
10. Using Git with AI Tools: Automation and Code Generation - Leverage AI tools to enhance your Git workflow for test automation. Use AI for writing commit messages, generating test code reviews, creating test scripts from requirements, and automating repository maintenance. Integrate ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and other AI tools into your daily Git operations.
11. Advanced Git Tips and Tricks for Test Engineers - Master advanced Git features that solve real problems test engineers face. Use stash for context switching, cherry-pick for selective test imports, tags for test releases, and bisect for finding bugs in test code. Learn Git hooks to automate test validation and explore productivity-boosting aliases and configurations.
12. Final Capstone Project: Build, Collaborate, and Automate - Apply everything you’ve learned in a comprehensive real-world project. Build a complete test automation suite for practiceautomatedtesting.com using proper Git workflows. Collaborate with peers using branches and pull requests, integrate AI tools for test generation and review, handle conflicts, and set up automated testing with Git hooks. Deliver a professional, well-versioned test repository ready for production.