What is a branch in Git?

A branch is a named pointer to a commit that represents a separate line of development.

#How a branch works technically

• a branch is not a copy of the code, but just a reference to a commit;
• with a new commit, the branch pointer moves forward;
• the current branch is determined by the HEAD pointer.

Example:

#Why branches are needed

• parallel development;
• safe experiments;
• feature development without affecting main;
• convenient merging of changes (merge / rebase).

#Important facts about branches

• creating a branch is an instant operation;
• branches are lightweight and take up almost no space;
• deleting a branch does not delete commits if they are still referenced.

#Short version for an interview

A branch is a pointer to a commit that defines the current line of development in Git.