Why trunk-based development dominates Git?

Choosing the right Git branching strategy is a crucial piece for an efficient workflow in software development.

There are different ways to manage code branching, each with its advantages and problems.

Understanding the differences between these strategies is the first step to choose the one most suitable for your team and project.

In this article, we will briefly explore the main strategies and focus on Trunk-Based Development, an approach that, in our opinion, is gaining a lot of popularity.

But what are the main branching strategies?

Feature branching: each feature or bugfix is developed in a dedicated branch. This approach isolates the work, but can lead to long-lived branches, increasing the risk of conflicts during the merge phase; GitFlow: a structured strategy that introduces separate branches for development, release, hotfixes, and features. It is ideal for complex projects with scheduled release cycles, but can be too complex for smaller teams; GitHub flow: a lighter model where the main branch is always ready for deployment. Changes are developed in short-lived branches, reviewed via pull requests, and integrated quickly; GitLab flow: similar to GitHub Flow, but with support for environment-specific branches (e.g., staging or production). It is particularly useful for teams using integrated tools like GitLab CI/CD;

Trunk-Based Development (TBD)

Trunk-Based Development (TBD) stands out for its simplicity and speed.

Unlike other strategies that rely on multiple and often long-lived branches, TBD encourages developers to work directly on the main branch, keeping it always stable and ready for deployment.

But how does it work?

Frequent commits: developers make frequent and incremental commits directly to the trunk (or on very short-lived branches that are integrated within hours or days). Continuous integration (CI): each commit triggers an automated build and test cycle to ensure the trunk remains stable. Feature toggles: incomplete features are integrated into the trunk using “feature toggles” to enable or disable them in production without separate releases. Close collaboration: developers collaborate constantly to avoid merge conflicts, adopting a work philosophy that favors small steps over large code blocks. What are the advantages?

Reduction of merge conflicts: with frequent commits, conflicts are identified and resolved quickly, reducing merge complexity. Better code quality: automated tests run on every commit ensure the code is stable and functional. Release speed: since the trunk is always ready for deployment, the release cycle becomes faster and more predictable. Alignment with DevOps: TBD supports modern practices like Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD), which are pillars of DevOps methodologies. Operational simplicity: with a single branch to manage, the process is less complex and easier to understand for team members. Trunk-Based Development requires strict discipline to avoid introducing errors into the trunk. Additionally, the stability of the trunk heavily depends on the coverage and reliability of automated tests.

For teams accustomed to more traditional strategies, like GitFlow, the transition to TBD may require time and training.

When to use it?

Trunk-Based Development is particularly suitable for teams practicing continuous integration and delivery, for projects with rapid release cycles or continuous deployments, for organizations that want to reduce the complexity of the development process, and for environments with well-established automated testing.

It is not ideal for teams without a DevOps culture or for projects with highly structured release requirements.

Trunk-Based Development (TBD) stands out for its simplicity, efficiency, and ability to support rapid release cycles, making it a preferred choice for modern teams oriented towards DevOps practices.

The approach, based on frequent commits and tight continuous integration, significantly reduces merge conflicts and keeps the code in the trunk always stable and ready for deployment.

However, the success of TBD depends on the team’s ability to adopt rigorous discipline in development and maintain a reliable automated testing infrastructure, which ensures code quality and stability at every stage.

For teams looking to accelerate development times, improve collaboration, and implement CI/CD methodologies with frequent releases, Trunk-Based Development represents one of the most promising and aligned strategies with the needs of modern software development.