Trunk-based development in Git - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

What is the main goal of trunk-based development?

Choose the best description of the main goal of trunk-based development in Git workflows.

A To keep all developers working on a single shared branch to avoid long-lived feature branches.

B To create multiple long-lived branches for each feature to isolate development.

C To merge code only once a month to reduce integration conflicts.

D To use forks instead of branches for all development work.

💡 Hint

Think about how trunk-based development helps reduce integration problems.

Trunk-based development encourages developers to work on a single shared branch (usually 'main' or 'trunk') to integrate changes frequently. This reduces merge conflicts and keeps the codebase stable.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this Git command sequence?

Given the following commands executed in order, what will be the output of the final git log --oneline?

Git

git checkout -b feature
# make some commits
# commit A
# commit B
git checkout main
git merge feature --no-ff
git log --oneline --first-parent -3

A Shows an error because the feature branch was not pushed.

B Shows only the commits from the feature branch before merging.

C Shows the last 3 commits on main including the merge commit.

D Shows the last 3 commits from the feature branch only.

💡 Hint

Consider what --first-parent does in git log.

The --first-parent option shows commits only from the main branch's history, including the merge commit. After merging feature into main with --no-ff, the merge commit appears on main.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

Identify the correct sequence for a trunk-based development workflow

Which option shows the correct sequence of steps for a developer using trunk-based development?

A Commit directly to trunk without any branching or review.

B Create a short-lived branch, commit changes, merge back to trunk quickly, delete branch.

C Create a long-lived feature branch, commit changes over weeks, merge to trunk after completion.

D Fork the repository, commit changes, and never merge back to trunk.

💡 Hint

Think about how trunk-based development handles branches and integration speed.

Trunk-based development encourages short-lived branches that are merged back quickly to keep the trunk updated and reduce integration conflicts.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Why might frequent merges in trunk-based development cause conflicts?

In trunk-based development, developers merge frequently to the trunk. What is a common cause of merge conflicts in this workflow?

A Using long-lived branches that never merge back.

B Merging only after all features are complete.

C Not committing any changes before merging.

D Multiple developers editing the same lines of code simultaneously.

💡 Hint

Think about what happens when two people change the same part of a file.

Merge conflicts happen when multiple developers edit the same lines of code and try to merge their changes. Frequent merges help catch these conflicts early.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Which practice best supports trunk-based development in a CI/CD pipeline?

Choose the best practice that supports trunk-based development to keep the main branch stable and deployable.

A Run automated tests and code quality checks on every commit to trunk before merging.

B Only run tests once a week on the main branch to save resources.

C Allow developers to merge to trunk without any testing to speed up delivery.

D Use manual testing only after deployment to production.

💡 Hint

Think about how automation helps maintain code quality in fast workflows.

Automated tests and quality checks on every commit ensure that the trunk remains stable and deployable, which is essential for trunk-based development and continuous delivery.