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Merge a branch

Once changes are complete, they merge back into the parent branch through a controlled process — almost always via a Proposed Change. This ensures that all modifications are validated and conflicts are resolved before integration.

The merge process creates a permanent record in the commit history that documents what changed and why.

What happens at merge​

Infrahub implements a "latest-value wins" merge strategy that optimizes for clarity and efficiency. During a merge, only the most recent value for each changed attribute transfers to the destination branch. The complete change history within the branch doesn't carry over — instead, the final state becomes a single change at the merge point.

This approach provides several benefits:

  • Maintains immutability of the main branch by creating a clean, atomic change
  • Simplifies conflict resolution by focusing only on the final state rather than intermediate changes
  • Provides clear merge points in history that are straightforward to trace and understand
  • Reduces storage overhead by not duplicating the entire change history of the branch

This merge strategy aligns with Infrahub's focus on the current state of infrastructure rather than the historical evolution of individual files, making it particularly well-suited for infrastructure management workflows.

After the merge​

After a successful merge, the source branch is automatically frozen:

  • GraphQL mutations (create, upsert, update, delete) are blocked on the merged branch
  • The UI disables editing controls with a visual indicator
  • Opening a new Proposed Change against the merged branch is prevented
warning

Once merged, a branch enters a frozen state and no further mutations are allowed on it.

The merged source branch can be deleted manually or automatically — see Delete a branch for the deletion options, including the delete_branch_after_merge configuration that removes branches automatically right after a successful merge.