Project branching policies
This guide describes the branching policies that apply to a typical project.
Prerequisites
Before you proceed complete the following:
Topics in this guide
Protected branches
Git administrators often implement (branching) policies to protect the contents of certain branches from being overwritten. For example, you may not be able to apply edits directly to the master branch for the project you’re working.
Typical requirements for making changes to a protected branch include the following:
- contributors cannot apply changes to a protected branch directly
- contributors can only apply changes to a protected branch by merging changes from another branch (compare branch)
- a pull request is required to merge a compare branch into a protected branch
- all changes proposed on a compare branch must be approved by a reviewer before they can be merged
- merging is restricted to the repository administrators (or similar role)
Branches can be protected in different ways, like by role, and branching policies can vary between projects. Ask your project manager about the particular branching policies that apply to the project you’re working on.
Note: The branching structures that apply to different roles within a project are described in the guide General project workflow. For more information about branching policies, refer to About protected branches.
Appendices
Check the following supplementary Appendices for more details and context.