Software Code Branch

A Software Code Branch is a lean software development practice that involves creating a separate software code line for a specific purpose.

• Context:
  • It can range from being a Short-Lived Code Branch to being a Long-Lived Code Branch.
  • It can follow a Code Branching Strategy.
  • It can be used in conjunction with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) to ensure that changes are continuously tested and integrated.
  • It can be managed using a Version Control System to track changes and facilitate collaboration among developers.
  • It can support Parallel Development, allowing multiple developers to work on different branches simultaneously without interfering with each other's work.
  • It can help isolate development work, making testing and reviewing code changes easier before merging into the main branch.
  • It can lead to Merge Conflicts if not managed properly, especially when multiple branches are worked on simultaneously.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • A Development Branch used for ongoing development work and new feature implementation.
  • A Master Branch (or main branch) that represents the stable version of the codebase and is used for production releases.
  • A Feature Branch created to develop a specific feature, which is merged back into the main branch once the feature is complete and tested.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • A Monolithic Codebase, a single codebase where all development work is done.
  • A ____ Software Trunk ___, that all developers committing changes directly to a single branch, typically the main or trunk branch, without creating separate feature branches.
  • A Feature Toggle, directly on the main branch but are controlled by feature flags to enable or disable them in production.
• See: Continuous Delivery, Branching (Software), Software Release Train, Lean Software Development, Software Release, Feature Toggle.

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References

2022

• (Wikipedia, 2022) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_delivery#Principles Retrieved:2022-10-26.
  • ... Other useful techniques for developing code in isolation such as code branching are not obsolete in a CD world, but must be adapted to fit the principles of CD - for example, running multiple Long-Lived Code Branches can prove impractical, as a releasable artifact must be built early in the CD process from a single Software Code Branch if it is to pass through all phases of the pipeline.

2022

• (Wikipedia, 2022) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_release#Rolling_release Retrieved:2022-10-26.
  • ... A Rolling Release is typically implemented using small and frequent updates. However, simply having updates does not automatically mean that a piece of software is using a rolling release cycle; for this, the philosophy of developers must be to work with one code branch, versus discrete versions. When the rolling release is employed as the development model, Software Updates are typically delivered to users by a package manager on the user's Personal Computer, accessing through the Internet a remote Software Repository (often via a download mirror) stored on an internet File Server.

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