Skip to main content
We publish frequent updates to our documentation, and translation of this page may still be in progress. For the most current information, please visit the English documentation.

This version of GitHub Enterprise was discontinued on 2023-03-15. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Managing protected branches

You can set up rules to protect certain branches in your repository. For example, you can block pull requests that don't pass status checks or require that pull requests have a specific number of approving reviews before they can be merged.

Protected branches are available in public repositories with GitHub Free and GitHub Free for organizations, and in public and private repositories with GitHub Pro, GitHub Team, GitHub Enterprise Cloud, and GitHub Enterprise Server.

  • About protected branches

    You can protect important branches by setting branch protection rules, which define whether collaborators can delete or force push to the branch and set requirements for any pushes to the branch, such as passing status checks or a linear commit history.

  • Managing a branch protection rule

    You can create a branch protection rule to enforce certain workflows for one or more branches, such as requiring an approving review or passing status checks for all pull requests merged into the protected branch.

  • Troubleshooting required status checks

    You can check for common errors and resolve issues with required status checks.