Trunk-based development
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.
Platform Engineering on Kubernetes
Trunk-based development is a source-control practice in which the main branch remains continuously releasable through small, validated changes and short-lived feature branches.
- How it is used
- Keeps the main branch releasable while coordinating feature work, validation, artifact creation, and frequent service releases.
- How deep it goes
- Defines branch and pipeline behavior through release tagging and validation, but does not prescribe one universal pipeline implementation.
- Examples
- Uses pull-request checks, main-branch pipelines, Git tags, binary artifacts, container images, unit tests, coverage checks, and security scans.
- What you can do after
- Operate a Git workflow that validates feature changes, protects main, and produces traceable releases after successful merges.
Read how Platform Engineering on Kubernetes explains trunk-based development →
Infrastructure as Code, Patterns and Practices: With examples in Python and Terraform
Trunk-based development is a workflow that integrates small, incremental changes directly into a shared main branch with short-lived or no feature branches.
- How it is used
- Coordinates incremental infrastructure changes when teams share one main branch and continuously test delivery.
- How deep it goes
- Explains definitions, Git steps, pipeline stages, benefits, limitations, and testing requirements without detailing implementation internals.
- Examples
- Uses firewall rules, firewall licenses, Git commands, delivery pipelines, unit tests, integration tests, and manual approval.
- What you can do after
- Apply via Git and a continuous delivery pipeline to coordinate small infrastructure changes and identify conflicting commits.
Effective Platform Engineering
Trunk-based development is a version-control practice in which developers integrate small changes frequently into a shared mainline.
- How it is used
- Keeps platform infrastructure changes continuously integrated into a shared mainline and a reliable path to production.
- How deep it goes
- Specifies pair programming, short-lived branches, and daily-or-more-frequent merges, without detailing branching mechanics or conflict resolution.
- Examples
- Uses platform-team pushes to trunk, short-lived GitHub story branches, and infrastructure changes progressing through a sandbox environment.
- What you can do after
- Apply it by merging platform changes frequently into main while preserving a stable, recurring release path.
Read how Effective Platform Engineering explains trunk-based development →
The AI Pocket Book
A development workflow where changes are integrated directly into the main branch with supporting practices to avoid breaking production.
- How it is used
- Organizes software teams around continuous integration, testing, controlled releases, and reliable delivery rather than isolated coding.
- How deep it goes
- Explains the branch workflow, feature flags, staged rollout, and automated testing, but stops short of detailed implementation guidance.
- Examples
- Uses a feature flag that exposes new code first to the developer and quality assurance team before a broader release.
- What you can do after
- Operate a trunk-based workflow with short-lived branches, automated tests, feature flags, and staged validation.
Read how The AI Pocket Book explains trunk-based development →
Related concepts
- branchuses · A branch is an independently evolving line of development in a version-control repository, typically represented by a reference to a sequence of changes or commits.
- deployment pipelineuses · A sequence of automated or manual stages that builds, tests or validates, packages, and delivers software or models toward deployment.
- feature-based developmentalternative to · Feature-based development is a software and infrastructure workflow that isolates changes on separate branches before review and merging.
- feature flagconfigures · A feature flag is a configuration control that conditionally enables, disables, or selects a software feature or behavior.
- driftaddresses · Drift is a change over time in a system’s behavior, state, data, or configuration relative to a reference or expected baseline.
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