What Are Pull Requests?

Attention to detail is crucial in software development. Because of this, having an extra set of eyes can make a difference when making changes to a codebase. Here’s when pull requests come in handy. Let’s take a closer look!

A pull request is a collaborative process used in software development to propose and review changes in a codebase. This process has several steps that must be followed to ensure consistency throughout development.

In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about pull requests, how to perform them, their benefits, and their importance in a software development project.

Shall we?

In software development projects, we often have changes along the way that make it necessary to adjust the codebase. In many cases, those changes tend to alter the code infrastructure in other areas.

Pull requests are used as a tool to propose and review changes made to the codebase. Since not only one developer performs or proposes the changes, this tool elevates code quality while lowering risks.

Merging changes into the main codebase is a necessary yet delicate process that needs to be done mindfully. In this sense, the primary purpose of pull requests is to allow developers to review changes in a collaborative manner before merging them into the main codebase.

Benefits of Pull Requests in a Software Project

Pull requests offer many benefits ranging from technical quality to communication skills. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Collaboration

Through pull requests, multiple developers can collaborate and work together on the same codebase, providing feedback, reviewing code, and making suggestions.

When this happens, the development team can build strong alliances in pro of the quality of the project. A collaborative team can achieve more than isolated workers because it builds upon the knowledge of each team member.

Collaboration: Pull requests facilitate collaboration by allowing multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously, review each other’s changes, and provide feedback and suggestions.

Code Quality

Missing errors, bugs, and inconsistencies in the code is far less likely to happen thanks to peer review. Pull requests help improve quality by providing a moment of reflection and assessment before merging code into the main codebase.

Apart from the peer review, the pull request process makes it simpler for developers to follow steps and be consistent with quality. The defined structure is a guideline for quality work.

Transparency and Accountability

Pull requests allow developers to track the history of the code and identify who made changes and when. This transparent record of all changes makes it simpler to navigate through the codebase.

Plus, this process encourages accountability because developers need to submit their changes for review and approval. Through an accountability structure, teams can receive feedback and further improve where needed.

Problem Solving

The peer review process helps prevent further problems from being merged into the main codebase. Whenever a problem arises, developers work together to find a solution. Through collaboration, problem-solving is improved and better workarounds can be found.

Cross-learning

All the previously mentioned benefits result in the possibility of having cross-learning as a combined benefit of pull requests. This process allows developers to review and learn from each other’s code as well as receive feedback and collaborate to solve problems.

All of the above results in a more efficient team that keeps on building knowledge across projects.

How to Create a Pull Request

In this section, you will learn about our internal process to create a pull request. It is key to have a structured process in order to have consistency in the quality of the codebase.

Here are the steps we follow:

Create a branch per functionality/bug
Work on that functionality/bug
Refactor code
Open a pull request using an internal template
Assign reviewer
Address all comments and feedback from the reviewer
Merge the pull request.

Although here we can see it simplified as a list, every step has its own elements that need to be worked on. There’s a set of best practices that we apply to ensure the technical quality of the process.

Some examples are:

When we work on a specific functionality or bug, we make sure to lower the number of commits to the best of our ability.
Before refactoring the code, we make sure that everything is working as we expect.
When we open the pull request, we create it providing a clear title explaining what’s being addressed and we use the internal template to have a homogeneous process.
After the creator of the pull requests addresses all the comments and feedback, the reviewer provides a clear final approval before merging.
Once merged, the task is considered completed.

Pull Requests Best Practices

Besides the specific best practices seen above, there are more general best practices that need to be followed in order to have a successful process.

Assertive Communication

Pull requests are a collaborative process. In every interaction with other team members, assertive communication helps create a healthy work environment while keeping operations true. With unhealthy communication, pull requests could become a hostile process, affecting the main purpose, which was to improve the codebase.

Thorough feedback

The reviewer needs to be as thorough and clear as possible in order to fix any issues that may arise. If the feedback is not clear, the feedback might not be addressed effectively and expectations might not be met.

In some cases, issues are not solved not because of a lack of care or technical ability but because directives on what to do were not clear. Thorough feedback helps combat and virtually eradicate those problems.

Follow Preset Guidelines

Following defined steps and guidelines helps improve quality and keep consistency in the work. Processes tend to be the origin of an effective flow of work, which ends up in better products and a higher-quality codebase.

Although there are some grey areas in which some detours might be taken, having preset guidelines and using them to your advantage is the best way to reach goals with pull requests.

Open Commit for Pull Requests

Commits are an essential part of the process, and now, there’s a game-changer of a tool for them! Open Commit uses AI to write commits in just one second. The use of this tool optimizes time by virtually eliminating the need to write the commits from scratch.

Leverage this app to save time and boost the productivity of your team.

Wrapping Up

Pull requests are key to building robust complex applications with as few bugs as possible. This collaborative process helps create an efficient screening process that ultimately improves the quality of the software. With the right steps and processes, pull requests can be the differentiating factor between a mediocre project and a rocking success.

What Are Pull Requests?