Cheatsheet - Pull Requests

What is a Pull Request?

A pull request (PR) is basically a request to merge code from one branch into another branch (usually into main or develop).
*You take changes from one branch and combine them into another*

Think of it as:
“Hey team, I finished a piece of work on my branch. Please review it before we add it to the main project.”

Pull Request - Overview.png

A typical Pull Request looks like..

  1. You create a branch for a feature (or bugfix)
  2. You push your changes to GitHub
  3. You open a PR from your branch → into main
  4. Reviewers check your code (comment, suggest changes, approve)
  5. When approved, it gets merged into the main codebase

Pull Request - Flow Diagram image.png

This ensures that our main branch stays stable!

Tip

Tools such as GitHub Projects, together with issues and user stories, provide structure and improve communication, leading to a more efficient and higher-quality workflow.

Why it’s useful

A Pull Request (PR) is really just a formal proposal:

“I’d like to merge my branch into main. Here are the changes. Please review.”

  • Keeps main stable (only reviewed code gets in).
  • Allows discussion before merging.
  • Keeps a history of why and how changes were made.
  • Connects to Issues/Project boards so work is traceable.

Shaking Hands.png

Draft Pull Requests

Sometimes your code isn’t ready to merge yet, but you still want feedback.
That’s when you can open a Draft Pull Request:

  • Shows clearly that the work is still in progress.
  • The green “Merge” button is disabled until you mark it Ready for review.
  • Useful for early feedback, team visibility, and testing.

Pull Request - Github Showcase 2.png
Open a pull request and pick what best suits you

Step by Step - Guide

Prerequisites

  • A Github Account
  • A Github Repository
  • Basic Git Knowledge
  • A local Project that is initialized with $ git init
Example

#1 Preparing the problem

  1. Create a new branch with $ git branch new-branch-name-here
  2. Add faulty code to the project
  3. $ git add .
  4. $ git commit -m "Initial Commit"
  5. $ git push

With the bad code pushed to the branch, we'll now perform the Fix!

Here's the example of my code

IMG #1 - Service Logic

Code Example - part 1.png

IMG #2 - Controller Endpoint w/o Validation

Code Example - part 2.png

Example

#2 Performing a Pull Request

  1. Navigate to your Github Repository

  2. Within the Main branch there's a Compare & Pull Request for your information!
    Pull Request - Github Showcase.png

  3. In this example we'll go with an ordinary Pull Request

  4. Fill in the Description, click Create pull request
    Pull Request - Description.png

  5. Review, discuss and comment
    Pull Request - Adding Comment.png
    In this example, i'm adding a simple comment to play pretend in a group setting where we would want to add constructive feedback and suggest changes

  6. Add a reply to the comment
    Pull Request - Quote Reply.png

  7. Post and Publish, now merge
    Pull Request - Merge.png

Now what?

Success

YOU MADE IT!
Make sure you try this out a couple of times and familiarize yourself with other tools such as collaborating with Pull Requests and Issues!

For example, say you open up an issue #12, you could in a git commit message link to an issue using $ git commit -m "Fix: Security Issues in Validation (#12) ".

Pull Request - Documentation

Documentation

Read more about Pull Requests at Github's official documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/proposing-changes-to-your-work-with-pull-requests/about-pull-requests

Finished

Back to Overview: Developer Fundamentals