Code Freeze - CI/CD Glossary Definition
A code freeze restricts a release branch to only critical, approved fixes so the build stabilizes before shipping.
A code freeze is a period before a release when changes to the release branch are restricted to only critical, approved fixes, maximizing stability.
Code freeze is the strictest gate in a traditional release cycle. By limiting what can change, it keeps the release candidate stable and predictable while final testing completes.
Enforcing it in CI
Teams enforce code freeze with branch protection: require an extra reviewer or a "freeze-exempt" label on the release branch, so ordinary changes cannot merge during the freeze.
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