TIL How to use git branch aliases with Mozilla Central

Originally published at https://tigeroakes.com on July 20, 2020.

I just set up Mozilla Central with a git wrapper so I can contribute to the main Gecko codebase using Git. It works great, but the default branch has an unusual name compared to what I’m used to.

> git branch
branches/default/tip
bug1602126

You can create symbolic references in Git, so that the default branch has a name you’re used to.

> git symbolic-ref refs/heads/main refs/heads/branches/default/tip 
> git branch 
branches/default/tip 
bug1602126 
main -> branches/default/tip 
> git checkout main 
Switched to branch 'main' 
> git status 
On branch branches/default/tip