Commits

Why the bar is high

A commit message is the only explanation that travels with the code. Six months on, git blame on a puzzling line is the fastest route to why it is that way — but only if the message says why. "Fix validation" answers nothing that the diff did not already show.

So the rule: the subject says what changed; the body says what was wrong and why this change is the fix. The diff already shows how.

The format

type(scope)!: subject

Body: what was wrong, then why this is the fix.

BREAKING CHANGE: what consumers must do differently.