What Is Trunk-Based Development?

Conclusion

At the beginning of this report, I wrote:

Trunk-based development brings you better code faster and makes your developers happier. Better. Faster. Happier.

So, can the future really be this rosy? Better? Faster? Happier?

Continuous trunk-based development allows your team members to integrate all their code with the rest of the codebase several times a day. It helps them break their work down into tiny chunks that keep your pipelines green and release value constantly. Your developers always know what’s going on in the areas of the codebase adjacent to where they’re working, and they find out quickly and repeatedly how their work will affect, and be influenced by, the work of their colleagues.

CTBD ties in closely with continuous improvement—the idea that you deliberately aim to keep learning and improving in all areas—and is an on­go⁠ing process of forward progress. It takes time to learn, but when you get the hang of it, CTBD increases collaboration, enhances quality, improves flow, speeds delivery, and reduces the risk of failure and delay.

Many respected experts, some of whom I’ve quoted in this report, agree that CTBD is essential to continuous integration and delivery, and there is strong, authoritative research evidence that CTBD is effective. It’s tried and tested; its advocates love it and use it in all their work.

CTBD is much less widely used than you might expect. It’s not trivial to adopt. You may have to change your practices considerably to make the ...