How to Prevent Direct Pushes to the main Branch in Git

Introduction

In this post, we'll walk through setting up a Git pre-push hook that prevents direct pushes to the main branch. This extra layer of protection ensures that no one accidentally pushes code to the production branch, helping to avoid mistakes. You'll need to type a special confirmation before the push goes through.

Why use a pre-push hook?

A pre-push hook is a Git feature that allows you to run a script before a push operation completes. This script can validate certain conditions—such as blocking direct pushes to main, which is common practice for ensuring proper code review and CI/CD processes.

Step-by-step guide

Navigate to your repository

Open your terminal and navigate to your project directory:

cd /path/to/your/repo

Create the pre-push hook

Create the pre-push hook inside .git/hooks/:

touch .git/hooks/pre-push

Add the hook script

Edit the file and paste the following script. It asks for confirmation before pushing to main:

#!/bin/shprotected_branch="main"current_branch=$(git symbolic-ref --short HEAD)if [ "$current_branch" = "$protected_branch" ]; then  echo "🚨 WARNING: You are pushing directly to '$protected_branch'."  echo "Type 'PUSH IT TO MAIN' to confirm:"  read -r confirmation < /dev/tty  if [ "$confirmation" != "PUSH IT TO MAIN" ]; then    echo "❌ Push aborted."    exit 1  fi  echo "✅ Confirmation received. Proceeding with push..."fiexit 0

You can also create the file in one step:

cat > .git/hooks/pre-push << 'EOF'#!/bin/shprotected_branch="main"current_branch=$(git symbolic-ref --short HEAD)if [ "$current_branch" = "$protected_branch" ]; then  echo "🚨 WARNING: You are pushing directly to '$protected_branch'."  echo "Type 'PUSH IT TO MAIN' to confirm:"  read -r confirmation < /dev/tty  if [ "$confirmation" != "PUSH IT TO MAIN" ]; then    echo "❌ Push aborted."    exit 1  fi  echo "✅ Confirmation received. Proceeding with push..."fiexit 0EOF

Make the hook executable

Give execute permission to the hook:

chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-push

Test the hook

Try pushing to main:

git checkout maingit push

You'll be prompted to type PUSH IT TO MAIN to confirm. If you don't, the push will be aborted.

Conclusion

With this simple pre-push hook, you can prevent mistakes by adding an extra layer of confirmation before pushing to main. It's an effective way to maintain control over your codebase, especially in collaborative environments.