Feature Branch

In feature branch development, individual engineers or teams of engineers do not merge their branches until the feature is complete. In other words, they can work on separate copies of a feature for long stretches of time. If there is a conflict between the features they're working on, developers must go back to their original feature branches and apply patches in order to resolve the conflict before merging their changes into the trunk or master copy.

Feature branch development and merging are done in version control software such as Git and Github. Branches are created for each feature branch, which is used to develop the feature. Once the feature is complete, a merge can be made from the feature branch into the main branch of code.

Once the proposed changes are made to the code, a developer submits the changes as a pull request, or a request to have other developers on the team review the proposed changes to ensure that they are not breaking any existing code, and that they will not create any new errors in the main branch. Once it’s been approved, it will be moved to the main branch.

Continuous Integration & Feature Branches

One alternative to the feature branch workflow is continuous integration, which is a software development methodology that involves continuously integrated new code changes into the mainline or trunk.

Continuous integration, also known as trunk-based development, helps to minimize merge conflicts and cut down on code branching. It's a great tool for merging code changes, but it's also a hassle if you need to roll back changes made without accidentally unearthing conflicts. For these reasons, continuous integration is best used as a means of managing code changes rather than as a day-to-day practice.

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