Supportsoft Glossary

How Pull Requests Support Code Review and Collaboration

A pull request is a way to propose code changes in version control systems like GitHub and GitLab. A pull request is created by a developer after they have made changes to a feature or fixed a bug on a separate branch of the code. The developer then submits a pull request to merge their changes with the main project, which starts the review process. During this review, team members will review the changes and provide feedback and may suggest further enhancements. Pull requests can create a collaborative environment by making code changes visible and trackable.

During the review process, reviewers will verify the code's quality, check for potential security issues, consider performance impacts of the change, and ensure the code follows project standards. Many of today’s projects have a wide array of automated pipelines to execute different checks, such as testing, linting, and building, to support ensuring the changes can be safely merged. Team members can have discussions directly on the pull request, where they can discuss design decisions, ask questions, and improve the implementation prior to merging. Once a pull request has met all requirements, it will receive a reviewer's approval and will be merged into the main branch. 

The pull request practice results in a reduction in defects, creating consistent code, and building team alignment, making the pull request workflow one of the pillars of today’s development methods by combining collaboration, quality control, and documentation in a single workflow.