Git Pull Requests
In this page:
What is a Pull Request?
A pull request bundles up the commits on a feature branch and proposes merging them into another branch, giving reviewers a dedicated place to leave line-by-line comments, request changes, and approve before anything actually merges. It's a review gate layered on top of Git itself — the platform (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) tracks it, not Git.
Example: What is a Pull Request?
git push -u origin feature-login
# then open a pull request on the hosting platformPushing Local Commits to a Pull Request
Because a pull request just points at a branch rather than a fixed set of commits, pushing new commits to that branch updates the PR automatically — reviewers see the new changes appear without you needing to open a second request.
Example: Pushing Local Commits to a Pull Request
git commit -m "Address review comments"
git pushFetching and Testing a Pull Request Locally
Checking out someone else's PR locally — via git fetch origin pull/ID/head:branch-name on GitHub, or a similar remote ref on other platforms — lets you actually run their code and tests on your machine before approving, which catches problems a diff view alone can miss.
Example: Fetching and Testing a Pull Request Locally
git fetch origin pull/42/head:pr-42
git checkout pr-42Merging a Pull Request
Once a PR has the required approvals and passes any automated checks, merging it folds its commits into the target branch — most platforms offer a choice between a regular merge commit, a squash merge, or a rebase, each leaving a different shape of history behind.
Example: Merging a Pull Request
git checkout main
git merge --no-ff feature-loginDeleting Merged Branches
A merged feature branch has done its job and just adds clutter if left around — deleting it both locally (git branch -d) and on the remote (git push origin --delete <branch>) keeps the branch list meaningful and stops people from accidentally building on stale work.
Example: Deleting Merged Branches
git branch -d feature-login
git push origin --delete feature-loginChapter Quiz — Complete all 6 topics to unlock
0/6 topics done
Complete these topics first: