Suggest an editImprove this articleRefine the answer for “What is the philosophy of Trunk-Based Development?”. Your changes go to moderation before they’re published.Approval requiredContentWhat you’re changing🇺🇸EN🇺🇦UAPreviewTitle (EN)Short answer (EN)**The philosophy of Trunk-Based Development (TBD)** is the idea of constant, early integration, where the team merges changes as often as possible instead of postponing it. **Key point:** it is constant, early integration of small changes into one main branch, to minimize conflicts, speed up feedback, and increase the stability of development.Shown above the full answer for quick recall.Answer (EN)Image**The philosophy of Trunk-Based Development (TBD)** is the idea of **constant, early integration**, where the team **merges changes as often as possible** instead of postponing it "for later." Put simply: *"Integrate early, integrate often."* --- ## The key philosophical idea Instead of the approach: > "First we work on a feature in a separate branch for a long time, then we merge it" TBD says: > **"Small changes should reach the shared branch constantly"** --- ## The main principles of Trunk-Based Development ### 1. Minimal branching - one main branch: `main` / `trunk` - no long-lived feature branches - any branches are very short-lived (hours, at most a day or two) Fewer divergences and conflicts. --- ### 2. Small, frequent changes - commits are small - PRs are small - changes are easy to review and roll back Problems are found **earlier and more easily**. --- ### 3. Early integration instead of late merge - code is integrated immediately - conflicts are caught quickly - the team always works with up-to-date code There is no "merge hell at the end." --- ### 4. A stable trunk - `main` must always be in a working state - breaking the trunk is a serious problem - CI and tests are mandatory --- ### 5. Feature flags instead of long branches - unfinished functionality **is hidden behind flags** - code can be in `main`, but disabled - the release is not blocked by features Speed without risk. --- ## What Trunk-Based Development values most - **fast feedback** - **continuous integration** - **simplicity** - **fast delivery of changes** - **minimal risk of large integrations** --- ## The anti-idea (what TBD opposes) - long-lived feature branches - rare, large merges - last-minute integration - large releases full of surprises --- ## Short phrasing for an interview > **The philosophy of Trunk-Based Development is constant, early integration of small changes into one main branch, to minimize conflicts, speed up feedback, and increase the stability of development.**For the reviewerNote to the moderator (optional)Visible only to the moderator. Helps review go faster.