What is PR in GitHub?

In GitHub, PR stands for Pull Request.

A Pull Request is a way to propose changes you've made in one branch and ask for those changes to be reviewed and merged into another branch (usually main or master).

How a Pull Request Works

• Create a new branch
  • Example: feature/login-page
• Make your changes
  • Add new features, fix bugs, or update documentation.
• Commit your changes

git add .
git commit -m "Add login page"

• Push the branch to GitHub

git push origin feature/login-page

• Open a Pull Request
  • On GitHub, compare feature/login-page with main.
  • Add a title and description explaining the changes.
  • Request reviewers if needed.
• Code Review
  • Team members review the code.
  • They can approve it, request changes, or leave comments.
• Merge the PR
  • Once approved and all checks pass, the Pull Request is merged into the target branch.

Why Use Pull Requests?

• Enables code reviews before merging.
• Encourages team collaboration.
• Runs automated tests using GitHub Actions.
• Keeps a record of discussions and decisions.
• Helps prevent bugs from reaching the main branch.

Example

Suppose your repository has this structure:

main
 ├── README.md
 └── app.py

You create a branch:

feature/dark-mode

After adding dark mode, you open a Pull Request:

feature/dark-mode  ─────────▶  main
          (Pull Request)

Your teammates review the changes, suggest improvements if necessary, and once approved, the PR is merged into main.

Common Pull Request Terms

• Base branch: The branch you want to merge into (e.g., main).
• Compare branch: The branch containing your changes.
• Reviewer: A person who checks your code.
• Approval: Confirmation that the changes are acceptable.
• Merge: Incorporating the changes into the base branch.
• Conflict: When changes in two branches overlap and must be resolved before merging.

In short, a Pull Request is GitHub's collaboration mechanism for reviewing, discussing, and safely merging code changes into a project.