Pull Requests: The Heart of GitHub Collaboration

The First Time I Heard "Open a PR"

When I joined my first team project, my lead told me, “Great work, now open a pull request.” I had no idea what that meant. I thought I could just push my code to the main branch and be done. But once I understood pull requests, everything clicked. They are not just about moving code from one branch to another, they are about collaboration, review, and building trust.

What is a Pull Request

A pull request (PR) is a way of asking, “Hey team, I made some changes, can we review and merge them?” On GitHub, it creates a space where your code can be discussed, tested, and approved before it goes into the main project.

How to Create a Pull Request

# Create and push a new branch
git checkout -b feature/signup
git push origin feature/signup

# Then on GitHub, click "Compare & pull request"

What Happens in a Pull Request

Code is reviewed by teammates before merging.
Discussions happen around specific lines of code.
Automated tests (CI/CD) can run to check for errors.
The branch is merged into the target branch (usually main or develop).

Benefits of Pull Requests

Collaboration: Everyone gets a chance to review and suggest improvements.
Code Quality: Mistakes are caught before they reach production.
Learning: Junior developers learn best practices from feedback.
Documentation: PRs create a record of why changes were made.

Pro Tips From Experience

Always write clear titles and descriptions for your PRs.
Keep PRs small and focused, easier to review and merge.
Ask for reviews from the right teammates.
Respond politely to feedback, PRs are conversations, not battles.

Mistakes to Avoid

Pushing directly to main: Skipping PRs removes collaboration and review.
Huge PRs: Hard to review, more likely to hide bugs.
Ignoring feedback: The value of PRs is in the discussion, not just the merge.

The Reality Check

Pull requests are at the heart of GitHub. They turn solo coding into teamwork, and messy projects into organized ones. If you are new to GitHub, learn to love PRs. They are not a barrier, they are a safeguard. Every time you open one, you are saying, “I care about this project, and I want others to trust my code.” That mindset builds stronger teams and better software.

Remember, good code is not just written, it is reviewed. Pull requests make that possible.