GitLab protected branches and approval rules

What you will learn

• Understand the core purpose of GitLab protected branches and approval rules
• Master the basic usage and common options of GitLab protected branches and approval rules
• Combine protected branches with merge-request approval rules to reduce risky direct writes and improve merge accountability.
• Understand key concepts: Suggested baseline policy
• Know when to use this feature and when to avoid it

In GitLab governance, protected branches control write access and approval rules control merge quality thresholds.

Start with a problem

You're already using GitHub or GitLab to host code, but beyond push and pull, you're not fully familiar with the collaboration features these platforms offer — PR workflows, code review, and permission management.

Suggested baseline policy

1. mainline changes only through merge requests
2. protected branches block direct developer push
3. one or more required approvals
4. required CI checks before merge

Operational benefits

• fewer accidental pushes
• stronger review accountability
• clearer audit trail for high-risk merges

!Permission policy must evolve with team structure

Outdated branch permissions create hidden governance gaps after org changes.

Good follow-up reads

1. gitlab flow and merge requests
2. pr merge strategy and platform settings
3. shared history boundaries

Try it yourself

1. Practice the gitlab-protected-branches-and-approval-rules command in a test repository and observe state changes before and after
2. Experiment with different options and compare the output differences
3. Simulate a real scenario where you would need to use this, and walk through the full process