Question

I have a project that is built upon a Boilerplate system that I have also created.

Currently I have a single repo with a branch for both the boilerplate and the project. However:

• I’d like to keep people only interested in the project (and not the boilerplate) away from the boilerplate, ideally by having the project in a separate repo from the boilerplate.
• I’d still like to pull in boilerplate updates to the project as they happen.

I’m comfortable with git submodules, but as the boilerplate and the app are at the ‘same level’ as each other – it’s a overlay relationship, not a parent/child one – I’m not sure of the best way to manage this. What do similar projects do?

Answer 1

as the boilerplate and the app are at the ‘same level’ as each other – it’s a overlay relationship, not a parent/child one

That means branches, not submodules.

And since you want to keep a clear separations between boilerplate and apps, that means 2 repo.

• One public, with only the app.
• One private (only for you) with both branches available.

You can clone the second one, add the first as a remote, and push only the app branch to it.