What are the differences between Trunk Based and Feature Branch approaches?

Trunk Based Development:

• All developers commit frequently (at least once a day) directly to the main branch (trunk/main).
• The main branch should always be in a working state.
• Features are developed incrementally and hidden behind feature flags until they are fully completed and ready for release.
• Fast integration cycle, early conflict and error detection.
• Fewer long-lived branches, simplifies merges.

Feature Branching:

• For each new feature, bug fix, or experiment, a separate branch is created from the main or another stable branch.
• Development is conducted in isolation on this branch.
• Upon completion, the feature branch is merged back into the main branch after code review.
• Potentially long-lived branches can lead to complex merge conflicts.
• Isolated development can delay integration and problem detection.

Main differences:

Criterion	Trunk Based Development	Feature Branching
Number of branches	Minimum branches, main branch is current	Many branches, one for each task
Commit frequency	High, frequent commits to main branch	Less frequent, commits to separate branches
Integration	Continuous, frequent	Less frequent, during branch merging
Conflict resolution	Early, small conflicts	May be late, complex conflicts
Risk of instability	Lower (with proper use of feature flags)	May be higher (long-lived branches)
Releases	More frequent, easier release due to feature flags	Depends on branch merging process

In Trunk Based Development, the focus is on continuous integration and rapid feedback, whereas Feature Branching provides greater isolation for developing individual features.