In modern software development, collaboration is key—and pull requests (PRs) are the cornerstone of team workflows in GitHub. A pull request is how you propose changes, request feedback, and ultimately merge your contributions into a shared codebase.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to create a pull request on GitHub, along with best practices to ensure your PRs are clear, efficient, and effective.
🔧 What Is a Pull Request?
A pull request lets you notify others about changes you’ve pushed to a branch in a GitHub repository. You’re essentially saying: “Hey, I’ve made these changes—please review and merge them.”
It’s commonly used in:
- Open source contributions
- Team collaboration
- Code review workflows
✅ Prerequisites
Before creating a PR, make sure you’ve:
- Forked the repo (for open source)
- Cloned the repo locally
- Created a new branch
- Committed and pushed your changes
📘 Example Git Workflow Before PR
# Create and switch to a new branch
git checkout -b feature/login-form
# Make changes, then add and commit
git add .
git commit -m "Add login form component"
# Push to GitHub
git push origin feature/login-form
🚀 How to Create a Pull Request on GitHub
📌 Step 1: Navigate to the Repository on GitHub
Go to your repository on GitHub (either your fork or the original repo).
📌 Step 2: Switch to the Branch You Pushed
Use the branch dropdown to switch to your feature branch (e.g., feature/login-form).
📌 Step 3: Click “Compare & pull request”
GitHub usually detects recently pushed branches and offers a “Compare & pull request” button.
If not:
- Go to the “Pull requests” tab
- Click “New pull request”
- Choose:
- Base branch: the branch you want to merge into (e.g.,
main) - Compare branch: your branch with changes
- Base branch: the branch you want to merge into (e.g.,
📌 Step 4: Fill in PR Details
- Title: Clear and concise summary
- Description: Explain what this PR does, why it’s needed, and any context
- Mention relevant issues or teammates using
#issueor@username
📌 Step 5: Submit the Pull Request
Click “Create pull request”.
Congrats—you’ve now submitted a PR!
🔍 Optional: Add Reviewers, Labels, and Assignees
After creating the PR, you can:
- Assign reviewers to request feedback
- Add labels like
bug,feature, orneeds review - Assign the PR to yourself or another team member
🔁 What Happens Next?
Once the PR is submitted:
- Reviewers can leave comments, suggest changes, or approve it
- You can push additional commits to the same branch, and they’ll update the PR
- Once approved, you or a maintainer can merge the PR
🧠 Best Practices for Great PRs
- ✅ Keep PRs small and focused
- ✅ Use descriptive titles and summaries
- ✅ Reference related issues
- ✅ Make sure the code builds and passes tests
- ✅ Include screenshots or test cases if relevant
🔚 Summary
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1. Push branch | git push origin feature/my-feature |
| 2. Create PR | Use “Compare & pull request” on GitHub |
| 3. Fill out details | Add title, description, reviewers, etc. |
| 4. Submit PR | Click “Create pull request” |
| 5. Follow up | Respond to feedback and merge when ready |
