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Trunk-Based Development

Methodology

Trunk-based development (TBD) is a version-control strategy where every developer integrates their changes directly into a single main branch (the trunk, often `main`) at least daily, rather than working on long-lived b…

Trunk-based development (TBD) is a version-control strategy where every developer integrates their changes directly into a single main branch (the trunk, often `main`) at least daily, rather than working on long-lived branches such as `develop` or feature branches that live for weeks.

TBD relies on a strict CI (automated tests on every commit), feature flags to decouple deployment from release, and quick code reviews. It avoids the merge hells associated with long-running branches and drastically speeds up delivery.

It is a foundational practice of continuous delivery and one of the DORA indicators of team performance; popularised by Google, it is now standard in high-performing teams.

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