Pull Request (PR) is a request to merge code changes from one branch into another, typically reviewed before merging.
PRs (or "Merge Requests" in GitLab) are the primary code review mechanism. Best practices: small PRs (<400 lines), descriptive titles linking to issues, automated checks (CI), at least one human reviewer. AI code review tools (CodeRabbit, GitHub Copilot Reviews) provide automated feedback. By 2026, PR cycle time is a key DORA metric — elite teams: <24 hours.
Pull requests are how most teams enforce code review, run automated checks, and create a record of decisions. They are also the most consistent way to share knowledge across a team.
A developer pushes a branch, opens a pull request, and a teammate reviews the diff line by line, leaves comments, and approves once the changes look good. Only after that does the change merge into the main branch.
Pull requests are not just "permission to merge." Their main value is structured review — catching bugs, sharing context, and keeping multiple engineers in sync on what is changing and why.
Keep pull requests small; large PRs get rubber-stamped, while small focused changes get genuine review and rarely break the build.
Pull Request (PR) falls under the Engineering category.
These tools put pull request into practice. Compare features, pricing, and ratings:
Automated software delivery practices that test and deploy code changes continuously.
A system that tracks changes to files over time, enabling collaboration and rollback.
The systematic examination of code changes by peers to find bugs, ensure quality, and share knowledge.
Now that you understand Pull Request, explore the best tools in this category.