# Branch

Concept · [Technical basics](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical)

Also called: git branch, feature branch, main branch, master branch

A separate line of work inside a [repository](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/repository). A [developer](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/software-engineer) makes changes on a branch without touching the main version of the code, then merges the branch back when the work is reviewed and ready.

**For example:** The new [pricing page](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/pricing-tiers) is built on its own branch, so the [live site](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/production) keeps running from the main branch until the change is approved.

## Connects to (6)

- [Git](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/git): The free, open source version control program that almost every software team uses.
- [Commit](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/commit): One saved change in version control: a snapshot of the code with a short note saying what changed, who made it and when.
- [Pull request](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/pull-request): A request to merge the changes on one branch into the main code.
- [Merge conflict](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/merge-conflict): What happens when two branches change the same lines of code in different ways, so version control cannot combine them on its own.
- [Version control](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/version-control): A system that records every change to the code, who made it and when.
- [GitHub Desktop](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/github-desktop): A free app from GitHub that lets you use Git through buttons instead of typed commands: see changes, make commits, switch branches and…

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/branch