A branch is a version of a project's working tree. You create a branch for each set of related changes you make. This keeps each set of changes separate from each other, allowing changes to be made in parallel, without affecting each other.

After pushing your changes to a new branch, you can:


For more information on managing branches using the GitLab UI, see:

You can also manage branches using the command line.

Watch the video GitLab Flow.

See also:

Default branch





To compare branches in a repository:

  1. Navigate to your project's repository.
  2. Select Repository > Compare in the sidebar.
  3. Select branches to compare using the branch filter search box
  4. Click Compare to view the changes inline:

compare branches

Delete merged branches

Introduced in GitLab 8.14.

Delete merged branches



Branch filter search box

Introduced in GitLab 11.5.

Branch filter search box


  • Branches with names that matched search terms exactly.

