Anaconda Branch Policy
This page describes the various branches in the anaconda GIT repository and the team's policies for their use.
master
The master branch is the trunk or the main branch. It is the branch from which all new product branches are created and therefore should receive all commits that we want to keep into the foreseeable future. Barrier to entry is fairly low since finer-grained control can be applied to specific product/release branches.
fX-branch
This is the product branch for Fedora X (fX), where X is probably some number (currently it is 42). This is the main branch for fX development, and acts much like master, except specific to fX. This branch is created on the package repository branch date for fX and uses master as a starting point. Nothing should be committed/pushed to this branch without first going to the master branch unless there is a specific reason why it does not belong on master. Developers use their best judgment (and get the consent of the release lead for fX) before cherry-picking patches from master and pushing them to fX-branch.
Once the fX-beta-branch has been created, only fixes for approved beta and release blockers may be committed/pushed to fX-branch by developers.
First, think about whether the bug qualifies as an alpha/beta/release blocker. The release criteria page is a good place to start. To nominate your bug as a blocker, add the appropriate tracker bug to the "Blocks" field in your bug report. Blocker review meetings will be held periodically, at which rel-eng, QA, and engineering will review the proposed blocker bugs and decide which ones merit blocker status and which do not. These meetings are included in both the QA and rel-eng schedules. After review, your bug's "Blocks" value will have been adjusted as appropriate. It is recommended that you either provide some justification in the bug report when nominating your bug or else that you attend the blocker review meeting in order to provide an explanation and answer any questions that arise. Once your bug has been approved as a blocker you can proceed to commit/push to fX-branch.
fX-alpha-branch
This branch is for stabilization of the fX alpha release. This branch is created on the alpha development freeze date and uses fX-branch as a starting point. All commits/pushes to this branch should be cherry-picked from fX-branch by the committer. Only bugs that block the fX alpha should be committed to this branch.
During alpha stabilization, fixes for beta or release blockers, as well as other fixes deemed appropriate by the release lead, can be committed/pushed to fX-branch. They will automatically end up in fX-beta-branch, but will not threaten stabilization of the alpha.
Each product/release (eg: Fedora 42) has an appointed release lead. The release lead is responsible for creating the alpha/beta branches, submitting builds, and acts as the main point of contact for the installer team during development of said product/release.
fX-beta-branch
This branch is for stabilization of the fX beta release. This branch is created on the beta development freeze date and uses fX-branch as a starting point. All commits/pushes to this branch are performed by the committer and should be cherry-picked from fX-branch. Only bugs that block the fX beta should be committed to this branch.
During beta stabilization, fixes for release blockers may be committed/pushed to fX-branch. They will automatically end up in the final release, but will not threaten stabilization of the beta.
All work to stabilize the final release will happen on the release branch (fX-branch). Once the fX beta has been finalized, the only changes that should go onto fX-branch are those that block the release, so a separate fX-rc-branch would be redundant.
Commit workflow
All commits, where appropriate, should first go to master. They should also be cherry-picked to the fX-branch during Alpha and Beta stabilization. During release candidate stabilization only pick commits that are release blockers.
Developers should also cherry-pick their commits to the fX-Alpha-branch or fX-Beta-branch when they are blockers. Coordination with the release lead for large patches or those depending on other packages (eg. pykickstart is a common one) may be necessary.