# When to Branch & How to See File Versions (faq3)

## When to create a branch
- For features, experiments, or parallel maintenance.
- Not for normal sequential releases; use tags on `main`.

## How to tell a file’s version
- History with tags: `git log --decorate --oneline -- path/to/file`
- Nearest tag: `git describe --tags --always`
- File at tag: `git show v2.0.0:path/to/file`
- Diff between versions: `git diff v1.0.0 v2.0.0 -- path/to/file`

## Practical version check

```bash
cat VERSION
git describe --tags --always
git status
```

- Clean tree + tag = released version.
- Commits after tag = work toward next release.