This term refers to the destination branch specified in a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline when a merge request is initiated. It indicates where the changes proposed in the merge request will be integrated if the request is approved and merged. For example, a developer working on a feature branch named “feature/new-login” might specify “main” or “develop” as the destination, effectively requesting their changes be incorporated into the main codebase or a development branch.
Specifying the correct destination is crucial for maintaining a healthy and organized codebase. It ensures changes are integrated into the intended branch, preventing accidental merges into incorrect environments like production. This contributes to a more streamlined workflow and reduces the risk of introducing bugs or breaking existing functionality. Historically, the ability to precisely define the target branch has significantly improved CI/CD practices, allowing for more granular control over code integration and deployments. This has facilitated complex branching strategies like Gitflow, enabling parallel development and stable releases.
