---
schema_version: "1"
id: 81dcab6b90e828390bf8154db6246f6fa1e5f429c7e9dfa23affa01f61efe578
title: Source Control Branches
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/devops_center_basics_source_control_branches.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.devops_center_basics_source_control_branches.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 4497bfcda261612ce8445367fc10e8db58367e117fdbee469f1b3d736792e0ce
description: A branch is a local copy of your project where you can make changes without affecting anyone else’s work.
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Source Control Branches

A branch is a local copy of your project where you can make changes without affecting anyone else’s work.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Lightning Experience in <strong>Professional</strong> (API access required), <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions</td></tr></tbody><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Government Cloud Plus</strong> as interoperable. Turning on DevOps Center (Managed Package) in Government Cloud Plus orgs can send data outside the authorization boundary. Contact your Salesforce account executive for more details. Lifecycle Center is not available in <strong>Government Cloud Plus</strong>.</td></tr></tbody><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Not available in: <strong>EU Operating</strong> Zone. EU Operating zone is a special paid offering that provides an enhanced level of data residency commitment. Lifecycle Center <em>is</em> supported in orgs in the EU that aren’t part of EU OZ, per standard product terms and conditions.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Each pipeline stage has a branch in your source control repository. The first stage branch, such as Integration, contains approved changes that are ready to be moved to the next stage. Your feature branch contains the changes for one work item. For example, `feature/WI-000042`.

When you select an environment for a work item in Lifecycle Center, it automatically creates a feature branch for that work item from the first stage branch in your pipeline. Your changes stay in that branch until your team reviews and approves them. After approval, Lifecycle Center merges your branch back into the first stage branch. As changes are promoted, Lifecycle Center merges changes into ‌branches for later pipeline stages.

## Branch Lifecycle

Step 1: Lifecycle Center creates a branch for your work item from the first pipeline stage branch, such as Integration.

![A feature branch diverging from a first pipeline stage branch.](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-devops_center-264-0-0-production-enus/166010c3-4c34-4087-92ad-aea917baf524/devops_center/images/devops_center_basics_branch1.png)

Step 2: You work in the development environment and commit changes to the feature branch.

![A feature branch with three commits.](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-devops_center-264-0-0-production-enus/166010c3-4c34-4087-92ad-aea917baf524/devops_center/images/devops_center_basics_branch2.png)

Step 3: Your team works in parallel on other work items in their own branches.

![A main development branch with merged changes and a feature branch with three new commits.](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-devops_center-264-0-0-production-enus/166010c3-4c34-4087-92ad-aea917baf524/devops_center/images/devops_center_basics_branch3.png)

Step 4: Create a Pull Request (PR), review, and approve the changes.

Step 5: Lifecycle Center merges your branch into the first pipeline stage branch.

![A workflow where a branch with three commits merges into a first pipeline stage branch.](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-devops_center-264-0-0-production-enus/166010c3-4c34-4087-92ad-aea917baf524/devops_center/images/devops_center_basics_branch4.png)

Step 6: Branch merge is complete.

Your branch merge with the first pipeline stage branch is complete, and your changes live in the first pipeline stage branch. Lifecycle Center deletes your working branch.

#### See Also

- [_GitHub documentation_: About Branches](https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/proposing-changes-to-your-work-with-pull-requests/about-branches)
- [_Bitbucket documentation_: Set up and work on repositories in Bitbucket Cloud](https://support.atlassian.com/bitbucket-cloud/docs/set-up-and-work-on-repositories-in-bitbucket-cloud/)