Git branching strategies define how development teams organize, merge, and release code within version control systems. These strategies serve as operational blueprints that determine when branches are created, how long they live, who can merge them, and how changes flow from development through testing to production. The right strategy balances team size, deployment frequency, and release complexity—choosing poorly leads to merge conflicts, delayed releases, and deployment risk. While GitFlow dominated the 2010s with its structured multi-branch model, modern teams increasingly favor simpler approaches like GitHub Flow or trunk-based development that align with continuous delivery practices. Understanding the trade-offs between workflow complexity, integration frequency, and deployment automation is essential for maintaining code quality while shipping features rapidly.