Trunk-Based Development: The Key to Faster, Safer Software Releases

Accelerating releases with trunk-based development

Trunk-based development is an advanced branching model that supports rapid, reliable software delivery. By consolidating code changes into a single, shared branch (or "trunk"), teams can reduce merge conflicts, streamline continuous integration (CI), and improve overall code quality.

In this article, we’ll explore:

• What trunk-based development is and why it matters
• How it contrasts with other branching models
• Key benefits and challenges
• Best practices for successful implementation
• Real-world case studies demonstrating its impact

The bottlenecks holding back your development team

For many CTOs, dealing with failed releases and missed deadlines has become a frustrating reality. Long development cycles, delayed features, and complex merges often lead to integration conflicts and miscommunication among team members – obstacles that disrupt progress and put timely releases at risk. When each day is filled with these challenges, it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly playing catch-up, trying to resolve issues that slow down your team’s momentum.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. These bottlenecks are common pain points in software development, and they drive many tech leaders to seek solutions that streamline workflows and get products to market faster. How do they do it? We asked 75 global CTOs and Tech Leaders how they deliver business goals on time. 59.2% of them pointed to a combination of strategic processes and agile frameworks. This statistic comes from our report “From Vision to Code: A Guide to Aligning Business Strategy with Software Development Goals”, which focuses on the perspectives of engineering, delivery, business, and DevOps in the development of a successful digital product.

How trunk-based development can transform your workflow

That’s where Trunk-Based Development (TBD) comes in. This streamlined approach to version control has become a go-to for teams looking to improve their software delivery process and cut down on delays. By focusing on a single, stable main branch, TBD makes it easier to minimize integration conflicts, reduce technical debt, and enable rapid, reliable releases.

With TBD, you’ll be able to adopt a continuous integration mindset, where code changes are smaller, frequent, and easier to manage. The benefits are substantial: fewer last-minute surprises, minimized technical debt, and a stronger alignment across teams. It’s a practice that sets a foundation for agility and speed, allowing you to deliver new features and improvements to your users with greater confidence.

And the results? Many teams find that TBD reduces their release cycle times, allowing them to get products to market sooner, iterate quickly, and respond to customer feedback in real time. This approach doesn’t just solve problems; it empowers your team to achieve more, all while making the development process less stressful and more sustainable in the long run.

By adopting trunk-based development, you’re not only removing bottlenecks but also positioning your team for continuous innovation and growth – so you can bring impactful products to market, faster and more reliably than ever.

Now, without further ado, let's dive into the details.

Trunk-based development explained

Trunk-Based Development (TBD) is a powerful approach to version control designed to enhance the speed, safety, and efficiency of software releases. By emphasizing continuous integration and frequent collaboration, TBD aligns seamlessly with Agile and DevOps practices, making it ideal for teams aiming to accelerate their deployment cycles and improve code quality. As our DevOps Engineer said in the report “From Vision to Code: A Guide to Aligning Business Strategy with Software Development Goals”:

What is trunk-based development all about

At its core, Trunk-Based Development revolves around a single, shared branch – known as the “trunk” – where developers commit code changes frequently. Unlike traditional branching strategies that rely on long-lived feature branches, TBD encourages developers to integrate small, incremental changes directly into the trunk. This minimizes the risk of complex merge conflicts and allows for rapid feedback, as code is constantly tested and reviewed in smaller, manageable segments.

TBD in practice

In a typical TBD workflow, release branches are created as snapshots when code is ready to be deployed. These branches are usually short-lived and promptly merged back into the trunk after release, maintaining the trunk as the single source of truth. This process keeps the codebase stable and reduces the accumulation of technical debt.

In scenarios where teams release multiple times a day, the need for release branches diminishes; changes are often pushed directly to the trunk and deployed immediately, ensuring that the main branch is always in a deployable state.

While TBD primarily focuses on developing new features in the trunk, there are cases where bug fixes might need to be cherry-picked and applied to active release branches. However, such situations are less common, as the philosophy of TBD emphasizes proactive integration of fixes into the main branch, further supporting the rapid iteration and continuous improvement cycle.

Trunk-based development: comparison to other models

Trunk-based development vs feature branch

Managing and refactoring code accumulated from long-lived branches can be costly and time-consuming. In turn, Trunk Based Development is a methodology that minimizes technical debt through continuous integration and smaller, more manageable code updates.

Merging smaller and more frequent code changes is what sets TBD apart from feature branching (also known as Feature-Based Deployment) where code updates are not that numerous and regular. Also, they are usually larger than in the case of Trunk Based Development.

On top of that, in the case of TBD, all software engineers work on the same codebase in real time, and such collaboration enables tracking changes, testing, and prompt reactions whenever necessary. In turn, feature-based development assumes that particular teams work in isolation on separate branches – and it may take a lot of time before they make their code updates a part of the main repository.

Key differences:

• Trunk-based development is ideal for teams that prioritize frequent releases and collaborative workflows. By merging small, regular changes directly into the trunk, teams can reduce technical debt, minimize merge conflicts, and maintain a deployable codebase at all times.
• Feature branching allows developers to work in isolation on individual features. While it can be effective for larger projects, it may lead to complex, time-consuming merges and greater technical debt as branches become outdated.

Trunk-based development vs GitFlow

TBD is designed for speed and agility, where developers commit directly to a single main branch, supporting continuous integration and rapid deployment. Gitflow, on the other hand, is a more structured branching model suited for projects with planned release cycles. It relies on multiple long-lived branches (such as master, develop, and feature branches), providing a more detailed workflow for feature development, releases, and hotfixes. Both approaches have their advantages and are used in different development contexts.

Key differences:

• Branching structure and integration: TBD maintains a single main branch where all changes are committed frequently, supporting a faster feedback loop and fewer conflicts. In contrast, Gitflow uses multiple branches for different purposes (e.g., feature, develop, release), which can lead to more complex merge processes but allows for isolated feature development and clearer release cycles.
• Release strategy: TBD is geared towards continuous integration and delivery, making it ideal for teams that need to deploy frequently and iteratively. Gitflow, however, is better suited for projects with defined release cycles, as it enables teams to stabilize code on dedicated release branches before merging into production.

Benefits of trunk-based development

There are plenty of reasons why successful companies choose Trunk-Based Development (TBD). One of the biggest advantages of this approach is that it reduces the complexity of merges, keeping code up-to-date and streamlined. With fewer development lines and smaller, frequent merges, teams can avoid the headaches of massive integration events.

And adopting this approach has further advantages, such as:

• speeding up software development,
• improving safety, reliability, and efficiency of software releases,
• maintaining high code quality due to frequent testing and code reviews,
• being a perfect match with CI/CD practices,
• making use of feature toggles,
• improving organizational performance,
• increasing software stability,
• letting companies stay ahead of the curve,
• minimizing risks related to software development, including merge conflicts, technical debt, and deployment failures.

The latter benefit comes from encouraging frequent integration and continuous delivery, which help CTOs ensure smoother and more predictable software development cycles. By working from the same codebase, developers can collaborate more effectively, creating a unified, streamlined workflow.

With all code changes immediately visible in the main trunk, subsequent steps—like testing and deployment—become faster and easier. This real-time collaboration makes it simpler to catch and resolve issues early, resulting in a more agile and efficient development process.

Importance of trunk-based workflows in CI/CD

Helping achieve Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) is one of the major advantages of adopting the TBD approach. What's more, Trunk-Based Development can even be called a key enabler of CI and thus CD.TBD makes performing Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery easier because it streamlines merging and integration phases. Merging small, frequent code changes to a shared main branch (or a „trunk”) and avoiding many concurrent long-living branches is what Trunk Based Development is all about.TBD has even more advantages when it's paired and automated with CI/CD practices. Some of these benefits include:

• ensuring the codebase is always ready to use,
• less errors due to frequent testing, integrations, and validations,
• detecting bugs at an early stage,
• saving money due to greater efficiency,
• shorter time-to-market,
• greater software quality.

CI tools integrate code changes to the trunk automatically. But before they do, automated tests check on each commit to make sure these updates won't harm the common codebase all the team members work on.

Key principles of trunk-based development

Principle 1: Maintain a single, long-lived trunk branch

• The core of TBD is a single, long-lived main branch—known as the “trunk”—where all developers commit code. Unlike other branching strategies that create multiple long-lived branches for different features or releases, TBD maintains a single branch as the primary source of truth for the codebase.
• This principle minimizes the complexity associated with merging multiple branches and keeps the codebase stable and deployable at all times. By committing directly to the trunk, teams ensure that their work is integrated into the main codebase frequently, which reduces the risk of merge conflicts and technical debt over time.

Principle 2: Use short-lived feature branches for focused tasks

• While TBD primarily focuses on using a single trunk, it does allow for short-lived feature branches. These branches are used for specific tasks or features but should only exist for a brief period—usually a day or two. Once the work on these branches is complete, they are merged back into the trunk and deleted.
• This practice supports TBD’s emphasis on frequent integration. By keeping branches short-lived, developers minimize the risk of large, complex merges and help maintain alignment within the team.

Principle 3: Commit changes frequently to enable Continuous Integration

• One of the fundamental principles of TBD is continuous integration. Developers are encouraged to commit small, incremental changes directly to the trunk multiple times a day. This rapid integration cycle reduces the size of each code change, making it easier to test, review, and debug.
• This practice aligns with Continuous Integration (CI) and ensures that the trunk remains in a stable, deployable state. Frequent integration also helps identify and resolve issues early, reducing the risk of costly, time-consuming fixes later on.

Principle 4: Automate testing and quality control for every commit

• Automated testing is essential in TBD to maintain a high standard of code quality. Every commit to the trunk should automatically trigger a suite of tests, including unit, integration, and end-to-end tests. These tests ensure that the code is stable and functional at all times.
• Quality control can also include static code analysis and automated code reviews, which help catch potential bugs, style violations, and security vulnerabilities. By automating these processes, teams can maintain code quality without relying on manual checks, speeding up the feedback loop and reinforcing the reliability of the codebase.

Principle 5: Embrace continuous code review and collaborative practices

• Code reviews are a best practice in TBD that support team collaboration and knowledge sharing. Teams should establish a structured code review process where every commit or pull request is reviewed by one or more team members before being merged into the trunk.
• This process not only helps maintain code quality but also allows developers to learn from each other, share insights, and catch potential issues early. In a TBD environment, where collaboration is key, regular code reviews foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Principle 6: Keep the trunk always in a deployable state

• In TBD, the trunk is always in a deployable state. This means that, at any given moment, the code in the trunk can be released to production. To support this principle, teams should integrate deployment pipelines into their CI/CD setup, allowing for automated deployments whenever changes are merged into the trunk.
• By maintaining a deployable trunk, TBD enables teams to release new features, bug fixes, and updates rapidly. This supports agile workflows, reduces lead time for changes, and allows the team to respond quickly to customer feedback and market demands.

Who uses TBD?

Google leverages Trunk-based development (TBD) to keep its vast codebase stable and deployable at all times. By merging small, frequent changes directly into the trunk, Google enables fast and reliable releases, minimizing merge conflicts and allowing continuous integration to keep pace with rapid development​.

Facebook also relies on TBD to maintain continuous integration and quick deployments. Teams make small, targeted commits to the mainline, which is tested automatically. This approach lets Facebook enhance its platform continually and experiment with new features without disrupting production​.

Atlassian uses TBD to streamline workflows and reduce technical debt. By minimizing long-lived branches, Atlassian’s teams can avoid complex merges and focus on agile releases that align with customer needs. They prioritize feature toggles, enabling them to roll out updates incrementally and adjust features based on real-time feedback​.

Moving on to implementation: How to implement Trunk-Based Development

There are some things to think about and prepare beforehand. You have to make sure that a CI system and a version control system will be available for your team, and that a code review process and automated testing procedures have been implemented. Of course, all development work needs to be moved to a single repository and developers have to be taught to make regular code updates. This move requires a major culture change within the organization which may be hard to achieve in the beginning. To make these changes smooth and easier to handle, it may be necessary to hire an experienced advisor in this regard.

To successfully implement TBD, there are several steps to take:

Now, let's analyze that in more detail.

Step 1: Set up the right tools

Implementing Trunk-Based Development effectively relies on a well-configured version control system and continuous integration (CI) setup. These tools are needed for managing the frequent merges and testing required in TBD.

• Use a platform like Git, which supports trunk-based workflows through features like branching, merging, and pull requests.
• Set up your version control system to reinforce the TBD workflow. For instance, you might configure rules that require developers to merge their code back into the trunk within a certain timeframe.
• Use access controls to manage who can commit directly to the trunk. Some teams might allow all developers to merge code directly, while others might require approvals or reviews for certain branches.
• Select a CI tool that integrates well with your chosen version control system for seamless automation. These tools can be configured to automatically build and test every commit, which is essential for maintaining a deployable trunk.
• Configure your CI system to run a suite of automated tests (unit, integration, and regression tests) on every commit.
• In TBD, code is continuously integrated and should always be in a deployable state. Set up triggers to deploy changes automatically or semi-automatically after they pass the CI pipeline.
• For smoother deployment, integrate a feature flag management tool like LaunchDarkly or Split.io. Feature flags enable you to merge incomplete features into the trunk without affecting production, allowing teams to work independently on various features.

Step 2: Implement automated testing and code reviews

Automated testing is critical in TBD. Every commit to the trunk should trigger a suite of tests (unit tests, integration tests, etc.) to ensure the stability of the codebase. Implement a structured code review process to maintain code quality and to provide feedback on every merge. These practices help catch bugs early and maintain a high standard of code quality.

Step 3: Move to a single repository

Centralize your development work by moving all code into a single repository. This allows developers to collaborate easily and ensures that everyone is working from the same source of truth. Working in a unified environment prevents siloed work, which is a common issue in feature-branch workflows.

Step 4: Encourage regular updates

To align with TBD principles, developers need to adopt a habit of making small, regular updates to the trunk. This requires a shift in how teams approach development, moving away from long-term, isolated feature work. Encourage your team to commit code frequently to avoid large, complex merges down the line.

Step 5: Start fostering a culture of collaboration

Implementing TBD involves more than just changing processes; it requires a cultural shift within your organization. Developers need to be comfortable with frequent collaboration and sharing their work regularly. This might involve some initial challenges, especially for teams used to feature branching. Providing training and resources to guide developers through this transition is essential.

Challenges you need to prepare your team for

Increased risk of breaking the trunk

With frequent commits to a single mainline, even minor issues can disrupt the entire codebase. To manage this, a strong CI/CD pipeline with automated tests—covering unit, integration, and end-to-end tests—is essential. Teams should enforce policies requiring every commit to pass automated tests before merging. Flaky tests or gaps in test coverage can quickly lead to a non-deployable trunk, so maintaining high test quality and fast feedback cycles is critical.

Dependency on comprehensive test automation

TBD relies heavily on automated testing, making it essential to have thorough test coverage. Gaps in test coverage increase the likelihood of undetected issues being merged into the trunk, leading to instability. Teams must invest in robust test suites and automated build systems that catch failures immediately. Additionally, test speed and reliability are key factors, as slow or inconsistent tests can bottleneck the integration process.

Complexity of feature toggle management

Feature toggles allow unfinished work to be committed safely, but managing toggles becomes complex as they accumulate. Each feature flag represents conditional code paths, which, if left unchecked, can clutter the codebase and introduce bugs. To reduce this complexity, teams need a process to clean up old toggles and monitor active ones closely. Using a dedicated feature management tool like LaunchDarkly can help streamline this process and reduce technical debt.

High collaboration and communication overhead

TBD requires all team members to work from the same codebase and commit frequently, increasing the need for real-time collaboration. Teams need clear protocols for code reviews, rapid feedback, and conflict resolution to maintain alignment. Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams, paired with code review platforms such as GitHub or GitLab, are essential for ensuring continuous communication, but the team’s culture must also support regular interactions and fast response times.

Scaling with larger teams

As teams grow, the volume of commits to the trunk increases, which can amplify conflicts and integration issues. Large teams may need to split into smaller, focused groups with dedicated responsibilities to avoid bottlenecks. Advanced CI/CD systems with parallelized test and build capabilities are crucial to handle the higher volume of changes efficiently and keep the trunk stable. Implementing branch protections, automated rollbacks, and monitoring tools like Datadog or New Relic helps ensure rapid issue detection and minimizes downtime.

Trunk-based development wrapped up

Trunk-based development (TBD) is an ideal strategy for teams aiming to accelerate development and maintain high code quality. By streamlining collaboration and promoting continuous integration, TBD enables rapid, reliable software releases that can help you stay ahead of the competition. This approach reduces merge conflicts, minimizes technical debt, and keeps the codebase always ready for deployment.

With TBD, you can achieve faster time-to-market, cut costs, and improve overall organizational performance. It’s no wonder that companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google have embraced TBD as a core part of their development process.

Looking for a reliable way to boost your release efficiency and eliminate merge conflicts? Consider making TBD part of your DevOps lifecycle.