What Is a Pull Request?
A pull request is a proposal to merge one branch into another, packaged with a discussion, review, and automated checks.
A pull request, or PR, is the unit of collaboration on most teams. It bundles a branch of changes with a description, a diff, a conversation, and the results of automated checks. Reviewers comment, CI runs, and once everything is satisfied the PR merges. It is where code, review, and CI/CD meet.
What a pull request contains
A PR points at a source branch and a target branch, shows the diff between them, and provides a place to discuss the change. It accumulates reviews, comments, and the status of every automated check, giving a single view of whether the change is ready.
Opening a pull request
After pushing a branch, you open a PR with the CLI or the web UI to start review and trigger checks.
git push -u origin feature/search
gh pr create --base main --title "Add search" --body "Adds full-text search"Review and checks
Teammates review the diff and request changes or approve. In parallel, CI runs build and test workflows against the proposed merge and reports each as a status check on the PR. A PR is usually mergeable only when reviews are approved and required checks are green.
Pull requests as the CI/CD gate
The pull request is the chokepoint where quality is enforced before code reaches main. Branch protection rules can require passing checks, approvals, and an up-to-date branch. Merging the PR is what triggers downstream deployment pipelines, making the PR the boundary between proposed and shipped.
Healthy pull request habits
- Keep PRs small so review is fast and thorough.
- Write a clear description of what changed and why.
- Require green CI checks before merging.
- Respond to review feedback promptly to avoid stale branches.
Key takeaways
- A pull request proposes merging one branch into another with review and checks.
- CI reports status checks on the PR that gate whether it can merge.
- Merging a PR is the boundary that triggers deployment pipelines.