Branch

As explained in Building User-Friendly DSLs

A named sequence of version-control commits representing an independent line of work.

A branch is a named sequence of version-control commits representing an independent work package, such as a feature or bug fix. Teams commonly keep the mainline in main and develop changes on separate branches. section 10.1

A distributed version-control workflow uses branches to:

• Branch from a mainline version. section 10.1
• Record and share changes through a sequence of commits. section 10.1
• Submit completed work for review before merging it into the mainline. section 10.1

Branch-based work supports concurrent and asynchronous collaboration, but merging becomes difficult when the mainline changes independently. Unresolved concurrent edits produce merge conflicts that developers must resolve manually. section 10.1

Figure 10.2 The main concepts of a DVCS, and a typical interaction

Use the diagram to trace branches, commits, reviews, and merges through a typical distributed version-control interaction. section 10.1

How Building User-Friendly DSLs covers it

How deep it goes

Defines branches within distributed version control and explains branching, commits, review, merging, and merge conflicts.

Examples

Uses main, feature, and bug-fixing branches as naming examples, alongside commit sequences and merge-conflict scenarios.

What it assumes

Builds from commits and distributed version-control concepts, defining both alongside branches.

What you can do after

Operate Git-based distributed workflows by isolating changes, sharing commits, reviewing work, and merging branches.

How it connects

Connects branches to commits, distributed version control, mainlines, tags, merging, and merge conflicts.

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Also explained in

• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Infrastructure as Code, Patterns and Practices: With examples in Python and TerraformA branch is a named line of development in a version-control repository that maintains changes independently from other lines until they are combined.
• 

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  Contract Testing in ActionA branch is a named line of development used to associate Pact artifacts with a particular development stream.
• 

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  Practical Automation with PowerShell: Effective scripting from the console to the cloudA branch is a named line of development in a version-control repository containing its own sequence of changes.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Think Like a CTOA named line of development in a version-control repository that can diverge from and later be integrated with another line.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Statistics Every Programmer NeedsA branch is an edge in a decision tree representing one possible outcome of a node's test.

Compare how 6 books explain branch →

Related concepts

• trunk-based developmentused by · Trunk-based development is a software workflow in which developers frequently integrate small changes into a shared mainline, typically using short-lived or no feature branches.
• GitHub flowused by · GitHub Flow is a lightweight Git branching workflow in which changes are developed on branches, reviewed, and merged into a main branch.
• deployment pipelinealternative to · A sequence of automated or manual stages that builds, tests or validates, packages, and delivers software or models toward deployment.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Building User-Friendly DSLs. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.