Conventional Commits Cheat Sheet

<type>[optional scope][!]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

The header (first line) is required. A blank line separates it from the body, and another blank line separates the body from the footers.

docs: fix typo in README

Just a type and a description is enough for a valid Conventional Commit.

feat(auth): add password reset flow

A new feature scoped to the auth module — triggers a MINOR version bump.

fix(api): handle null response from /users endpoint

A backwards-compatible bug fix — triggers a PATCH version bump.

chore(deps): bump vite from 5.4.2 to 5.4.8

Routine maintenance such as dependency updates. No release on its own.

perf(parser): cache compiled regex patterns

A change that improves performance — counts as a PATCH bump.

feat(checkout): support Apple Pay

A scope is a noun in parentheses describing the affected area of the codebase. Useful in monorepos and large apps.

feat: support Apple Pay

Scopes are optional. Omit them for small projects or changes that span the whole codebase.

feat(api)!: remove deprecated v1 endpoints

Add a ! before the colon to flag a breaking change. This alone triggers a MAJOR version bump.

feat(api)!: change auth token format

BREAKING CHANGE: tokens are now JWTs. Clients must
re-authenticate; legacy opaque tokens are rejected.

The footer explains what breaks and how to migrate. The footer alone (even without !) is enough to mark a major change.

fix(cache): invalidate user cache on profile update

The profile page showed stale data because the cache
was never cleared after a mutation. We now bust the
relevant keys inside the update handler.

Use the body to explain motivation and contrast with previous behavior — not how the code works (the diff shows that).

fix(ui): correct button alignment on mobile

Closes #142
Refs #98

Footers carry metadata. Issue references like Closes #142 can auto-close issues on GitHub/GitLab.

feat(editor): add collaborative cursors

Reviewed-by: Jane Doe
Co-authored-by: Sam Lee <sam@example.com>
Signed-off-by: Alex Kim <alex@example.com>

Common footer tokens include Reviewed-by, Co-authored-by, Signed-off-by, and Acked-by. Use a "token: value" format.

revert: feat(auth): add password reset flow

This reverts commit 9fceb02.

Use the revert type and reference the SHA of the reverted commit in the body.

npm install --save-dev @commitlint/{cli,config-conventional}
echo "export default { extends: ['@commitlint/config-conventional'] };" > commitlint.config.js

commitlint enforces the convention in a Git hook so malformed messages are rejected.

npm install -g commitizen
git cz

Commitizen walks you through type, scope, and description with a guided prompt.

npm install --save-dev semantic-release
npx semantic-release

Reads your commit history to determine the next version, generate a changelog, and publish — fully automated.