# 09 — Branches and pull requests

🌍 **English** · [Türkçe](../../tr/09-branches-and-pull-requests/readme.md) · [Deutsch](../../de/09-branches-and-pull-requests/readme.md) · [Français](../../fr/09-branches-and-pull-requests/readme.md) · [Русский](../../ru/09-branches-and-pull-requests/readme.md)

A branch is a safe copy of the project where you can work without disturbing `main`. A pull request is the request to bring that work back.

## When you need a branch

- The change is big enough that half-finished work would break things.
- Somebody should look at it before it goes live.
- You want to try an idea and be able to throw it away.

For a typo in a document, committing straight to `main` is fine.

## Creating a branch in the browser

While committing (chapter 03), choose **Create a new branch for this commit and start a pull request**, name the branch, and commit. Good names describe the work:

```
docs/vlan-notes
fix/wrong-gateway
feature/report-export
```

## Opening a pull request

1. Go to **Pull Requests → New Pull Request**.
2. Pick the source branch (yours) and the target (`main`).
3. Title = what the change does. Description = why, plus anything reviewers should check.
4. Press **Create Pull Request**.

## Review

- Reviewers comment on individual lines from the **Files Changed** tab.
- Push more commits to the same branch — the pull request updates itself.
- When it is approved, press **Merge Pull Request**, then delete the branch.

## Merge conflicts

If `main` changed the same lines you did, KabaForge asks you to resolve it. From your computer:

```bash
git switch my-branch
git fetch origin
git merge origin/main
# open the marked files, keep the correct lines
git add .
git commit
git push
```

## Protecting `main`

**Settings → Branches → Add rule**: require pull requests and approvals before anything reaches `main`. Recommended as soon as more than one person works in the repository.

---

⬅ [Previous: 08 — Commits and history](../08-commits-and-history/readme.md) · 📚 [Contents](../README.md) · [Next: 10 — Working from your computer](../10-clone-and-tokens/readme.md) ➡