GitRelease branch (release/1.5.0) tách quá trình stabilize một version khỏi ongoing development. Flow: feature freeze → tạo release branch → chỉ bug fixes được merge vào → QA → deploy → merge về main + tag.
Cần release branch khi:
- QA cycle dài (days/weeks) — cần isolate khỏi new features
- Multiple release tracks song song (v1.5 và v2.0 cùng development)
- Regulatory/compliance cần sign-off trước deploy
- Mobile apps với app store review lag
Overhead không cần thiết khi:
- Continuous deployment (deploy mỗi merged PR)
- Team nhỏ, QA cycle <1 ngày
- SaaS web app với rollback dễ dàng
Thực tế: nhiều teams tạo release branch vì "đó là best practice" nhưng chưa bao giờ thực sự cần. Nếu bạn deploy 5 lần/ngày, release branch là waste. Nếu deploy 1 lần/tháng với sign-off process, release branch là cần thiết.
Release branch (release/1.5.0) separates the stabilization of a version from ongoing development. Flow: feature freeze → create release branch → only bug fixes merged in → QA → deploy → merge back to main + tag.
Need a release branch when:
- Long QA cycles (days/weeks) — need isolation from new features
- Multiple release tracks in parallel (v1.5 and v2.0 simultaneously)
- Regulatory/compliance sign-off required before deploy
- Mobile apps with app store review lag
Unnecessary overhead when:
- Continuous deployment (deploy every merged PR)
- Small team, QA cycle under 1 day
- SaaS web app with easy rollback
Reality: many teams create release branches because "that's best practice" but never actually need it. If you deploy 5 times a day, release branches are waste. If you deploy monthly with a sign-off process, they are essential.