Branch Protection

What is Branch Protection?

Branch protection is a set of rules that prevent unwanted changes to important branches in your repository—like main, master, or develop.
It’s a safety feature, usually managed on platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket, to keep your codebase stable and secure.

Why Use Branch Protection?

• Prevent mistakes:
  Stops accidental force-pushes, deletions, or direct commits to critical branches.
• Enforce code review:
  Require pull requests and approvals before merging changes.
• Maintain stability:
  Ensure only tested, reviewed code reaches production branches.
• Automate checks:
  Require passing tests, successful builds, or other checks before merging.

Common Branch Protection Rules

1. Require Pull Requests

• Disallow direct pushes to protected branches.
• All changes must go through a pull request (PR) for review.

2. Require Reviews and Approvals

• Specify that one or more team members must approve a PR before it can be merged.

3. Require Status Checks

• Only allow merging if automated tests, builds, or other checks pass.

4. Restrict Who Can Push

• Limit who can push, merge, or delete the branch (e.g., only admins or maintainers).

5. Prevent Force-Pushes and Deletion

• Block force-pushes (git push --force) to avoid rewriting history.
• Prevent accidental or malicious branch deletion.

How to Set Up Branch Protection

On GitHub

1. Go to your repository on GitHub.
2. Click Settings > Branches.
3. Add a branch protection rule for your chosen branch (e.g., main).
4. Select the rules you want (require PRs, reviews, status checks, etc.).
5. Save the rule.

On GitLab

1. Go to your repository.
2. Click Settings > Repository > Protected Branches.
3. Choose the branch and set permissions for who can push, merge, or delete.

On Bitbucket

1. Go to your repository.
2. Click Repository Settings > Branch permissions.
3. Add rules for your branches.

Example: GitHub Branch Protection

• Require pull request before merging.
• Require at least one approval.
• Require status checks to pass.
• Restrict who can push.
• Block force-pushes and deletion.

When to Protect a Branch

• Production branches:
  Always protect main, master, or any branch deployed to users.
• Release branches:
  Protect branches used for releases or hotfixes.
• Develop/integration branches:
  Protect if multiple people merge features into them.

Tips for Branch Protection

• Document your rules:
  Make sure everyone on your team knows which branches are protected and why.
• Review regularly:
  Update protection rules as your team or workflow changes.
• Combine with workflows:
  Use protection rules alongside branching workflows for maximum safety.

Tip:
Set it up early—don’t wait for a mistake to happen!