Trunk-based development

Concept

A source-control practice in which developers commit small changes to one shared branch, the trunk, at least daily, with branches living for hours rather than weeks.

Title graphic: Trunk-based development (Concept)

Type	Concept

Key points about Trunk-based development

The three big strategies are Git Flow, GitHub Flow and trunk-based development. · Git Branching Strategies - Simply Explained
Git Flow is the structured one, GitHub Flow the simple one and trunk-based development the fast one. · Git Branching Strategies - Simply Explained
Trunk-based development suits teams that commit small changes and have strong tests. · Git Branching Strategies - Simply Explained

Episodes about Trunk-based development

Git Branching Strategies - Simply Explained

2026-10-26 · Video on YouTube

Master Git Branching Strategies with a clear breakdown of Gitflow, GitHub Flow, and trunk-based development. Learn pull requests, merging, and rebasing. Branching sounds like a small detail until two people change the same file. Then someone has to figure out…

Articles about Trunk-based development (1)

From Pipelines to Agent Fabrics: The Rise of Continuous Agentic Deployment
2026-08-13 · Mirko Peters
Welcome to our deep dive into the evolution of software delivery. If you are a developer, platform engineer, or technical leader, you have likely spent years optimi…

Frequently asked questions

What are the main Git branching strategies?

The main strategies are Git Flow, GitHub Flow and trunk-based development, each built for a different kind of team. Git Flow is the structured one, GitHub Flow the simple one and trunk-based development the fast one. · From the episode: Git Branching Strategies - Simply Explained

Which branching strategy fits teams with small commits?

Trunk-based development fits teams that commit small changes and have strong tests. The episode calls it the fast strategy, which only works when changes are small and checked automatically, so that the main line stays reliable. · From the episode: Git Branching Strategies - Simply Explained

Glossary

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Profile: dora.dev/capabilities/trunk-based-development
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M365.FM episodes on this topic: 1
Articles on this topic: 1

Maintained by Mirko Peters (Microsoft MVP) · Last updated: 2026-11-03