Description: Version control branches are a fundamental method in software development that allows teams to diverge from the main development line, known as the ‘main branch’. This approach facilitates the creation of isolated work environments where developers can experiment, implement new features, or fix bugs without affecting the stability of the codebase. Branches enable the management of different versions of a project simultaneously, which is especially useful in large and complex projects. Each branch can be seen as a parallel timeline that can be merged back into the main branch once the work is completed and its quality has been verified. This merging process is crucial for maintaining project coherence and ensuring that new functionalities are effectively integrated. Additionally, branches can be temporary, used for specific tasks, or permanent, as in the case of stable software versions. In the context of a continuous integration pipeline, branches play a vital role by allowing code to be automatically tested in isolated environments before being integrated into the main line, improving software quality and accelerating the development cycle.
