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---
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stage: Create
group: Source Code
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info: "To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments"
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type: howto
---
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# How to create a branch **(FREE)**
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A branch is an independent line of development in a [project ](../user/project/index.md ).
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When you create a new branch (in your [terminal ](start-using-git.md#create-a-branch ) or with
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[the web interface ](../user/project/repository/web_editor.md#create-a-new-branch )),
you are creating a snapshot of a certain branch, usually the main `master` branch,
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at its current state. From there, you can start to make your own changes without
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affecting the main codebase. The history of your changes is tracked in your branch.
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When your changes are ready, you then merge them into the rest of the codebase with a
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[merge request ](../user/project/merge_requests/creating_merge_requests.md ).
