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Introduction

This document outlines a specification for adding human- and machine-readable meaning to commit messages. It is based on the Conventional Commits Specification and has been adopted by Db4E, the Database 4 Everything project.

This convention dovetails with the Semantic Versioning specification by describing the features, fixes, and breaking changes made in commit messages.

Imperative Mood

Write messages like a command:

  • Good: Add user authentication
  • Bad: Added user authentication or Adding user authentication

Limit Subject to 50 Chars

Keep it short and sweet, concise enough to read in one glance.

Multi-Line Format

Separate the subject from the body with a blank line. Sample message:

Add support for remote monerod deployment

Refactored the installer to handle remote nodes by:
- Passing SSH keys securely
- Adding retries on connection failures
- Documenting usage in the README

Limit Lines to 72 Chars

This improves readability in terminals and git tools.

Why, not Just What

The diff shows what changed. The message should give context on why.

Use Bullets or Paragraphs

Using bullets or paragraphs helps organize details, especially for complex changes.

Reference Issues, Tickets, or PRs

Where applicable, include reference numbers to project issues, tickets or PRs. For example:

fix: race condition on startup (#42)

Prefix Categories

Use the following prefixes:

  • feat: A new feature.
  • fix: A bug fix.
  • docs: Documentation only changes.
  • style: Formatting changes, not code changes.
  • refactor: Code changes that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature.
  • test: Adding or refactoring Tests.
  • chore: Build process or auxiliary tool changes.

For example:

feat: add support for remote monerod deployment

This adds the ability to deploy monerod nodes on remote machines
via SSH, including secure key handling and connection retries.

Links