What is pullrequest?

A pull request (often abbreviated as PR) is a way for a developer to tell a team, “I’ve made some changes to the code, please look at them and consider adding them to the main project.” It’s a request to “pull” the new code into the main codebase.

Let's break it down

  • Repository: A place where all the project’s code lives.
  • Branch: A separate line of development where you can make changes without affecting the main code.
  • Commit: A saved snapshot of your changes.
  • Pull request: A formal request that the changes from your branch be merged (combined) into another branch, usually the main or master branch.
  • Review: Team members look at the changes, comment, suggest fixes, and approve or reject the PR.
  • Merge: Once approved, the changes are integrated into the target branch.

Why does it matter?

Pull requests create a safety net and a communication channel. They let teams review code for bugs, style, and security before it becomes part of the live product. This helps keep the codebase stable, improves code quality, and spreads knowledge among team members.

Where is it used?

Pull requests are used in virtually all modern software projects that use version‑control systems like Git. Popular platforms that host PR workflows include GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps. Any team that collaborates on code-open‑source projects, startups, large enterprises-relies on PRs.

Good things about it

  • Code review: Encourages peer review, catching errors early.
  • Collaboration: Central place for discussion, comments, and suggestions.
  • History: Keeps a clear record of why changes were made.
  • Safety: Prevents accidental changes to the main branch.
  • Automation: Can trigger tests, linting, and deployment pipelines automatically.

Not-so-good things

  • Speed: The review process can slow down rapid development if not managed well.
  • Overhead: Small or trivial changes may feel burdensome to create a full PR.
  • Merge conflicts: When many people edit the same files, resolving conflicts can be time‑consuming.
  • Dependency on reviewers: Progress can stall if reviewers are unavailable or overloaded.