Trunk-Based Development
A development practice where contributors integrate small changes frequently into one shared main branch.
Plain English
Merge small changes to the main code line often instead of keeping long-lived branches.
In context
Trunk-based development uses short-lived branches or direct integration plus strong automated checks and feature controls to reduce merge divergence.
Example
“The team uses trunk-based development and hides incomplete behavior behind a feature flag.”
When you'll hear this
- version control
- continuous integration
- release planning
Common misunderstanding
Trunk-based development does not mean merging unreviewed or untested code directly into production.
Also known as
trunktrunk development
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-26
