If you have worked with Git before, the concept of branching will feel familiar.
If you have not – do not worry. This video breaks it down from scratch before connecting it to how Pega handles it.
The Basic Idea
In most software projects, developers do not work directly on the main source code. They create a branch – a separate copy of the code – do their work there, and merge it back when they are done. This protects the main codebase from incomplete or broken changes.
Pega has its own version of this. And it works a little differently from Git in one important way.
How Pega Branching Is Different from Git
In Git, when you create a branch, you copy the entire source code into that branch. In Pega, you do not copy anything. Instead, you create a new layer on top of your implementation layer. That branch layer can reuse everything below it without duplicating it. Lighter, cleaner, and faster to work with.
The implementation layer acts as your master. You never branch directly off it. Instead, you create a branch application layer above it, and all your development branches sit inside that layer.
How the Development Flow Works
When you pick up a story or a bug fix, you create a branch inside the branch application layer, do your development there, and when you are done, Pega gives you a built-in code review process – similar to a pull request in Git – and a merge wizard to push your changes back into the implementation layer cleanly.
No third-party tools needed. No dependency on Git or SVN. Pega handles version control internally.
Best Practices Worth Knowing
One thing Pega is very clear about – keep your branches short-lived. The longer a branch sits without being merged, the more merge conflicts you will face. Do your work, review it, merge it. Do not let branches drag on for weeks.
Also, always create your branches inside the branch application layer – never directly on the implementation layer. If you branch directly off the implementation layer, there is a real risk that your unfinished branches could get pushed to higher environments during deployment.
Branch-Based or Trunk-Based – What Does Pega Actually Use?
Honestly – it is a hybrid. Not purely branch-based, not purely trunk-based. Somewhere in between, depending on the project and the team. Pega borrows the short-lived branch concept from trunk-based development while keeping the layered structure of branch-based development.
Watch the Full Walkthrough
In the video below I walk through the full branching concept in Pega – including how to set up the branch application layer, create branches, use the code review process and merge your changes.
Branch-based development in Pega is one of those topics that seems complex at first but clicks quickly once you see it in action. This video gives you that clarity.
