# Branching (/docs/compute/branching)

Branches are isolated environments that map to your Git branches, so preview work never touches production.

Location: Compute > Branching

A branch is an isolated environment for one line of work. Every branch in a project owns its own services, deployments, and any databases created on it, so preview deploys never share Compute resources with production. One caveat: a database your app reaches through a `DATABASE_URL` environment variable is only as isolated as that variable's value. Give previews their own preview-scoped `DATABASE_URL`. See [Environment variables](/guides/features-2-compute-environment-variables) for details.

A platform branch usually matches a Git branch name, but in Prisma it is a real resource that owns its own services and databases:

## Production and preview

Every branch has a role:

- The **first branch** in a project is your production branch, usually `main`. It's protected and durable: with [deploy on push](/guides/integrations-deploy-on-push) set up, pushes to your default Git branch deploy to it, and automated cleanup never touches it.
- **Every other branch** is a preview by default: disposable resources for testing changes before they merge.

To learn more, see the [Deployments docs](/guides/features-2-compute-deployments).

## How the CLI picks a branch

Commands that take a branch resolve it in this order:

1. `--branch <name>`, if you pass it.
2. Your active Git branch.
3. `main`.

Inside a Git repo, running `service list` from `feature/search` targets the `feature/search` branch automatically. To target a branch explicitly:

#### bun

```bash
bunx prisma service list --branch feature/search
```

#### pnpm

```bash
pnpm prisma service list --branch feature/search
```

#### yarn

```bash
yarn prisma service list --branch feature/search
```

#### npm

```bash
npx prisma service list --branch feature/search
```

Inspect platform branches:

#### bun

```bash
bunx prisma branch list
```

#### pnpm

```bash
pnpm prisma branch list
```

#### yarn

```bash
yarn prisma branch list
```

#### npm

```bash
npx prisma branch list
```

Listing branches doesn't expand the services and databases inside them. Use the `service` and `postgres` commands to inspect those.

## Creating branches

You rarely create branches manually. They are created automatically:

- **From GitHub**: when a repo is connected, creating a Git branch creates the matching platform branch, and your repository's [deploy workflow](/guides/integrations-deploy-on-push) deploys each push to it as a preview. To set this up, see the [GitHub integration docs](/guides/integrations-github).
- **From the CLI**: commands that target a branch that doesn't exist yet, such as `service create --branch feature/search` or a [Composer stage deploy](/guides/workflows-deploying), create it.

Connecting GitHub doesn't create branches retroactively. It aligns your default branch with the repo's default branch and wires up automation for future events.

## Cleaning up

When GitHub is connected, deleting a Git branch tears down the matching platform branch, as long as it isn't your production or default branch. Those are always left alone.

## Next steps

- [Environment variables](/guides/features-2-compute-environment-variables): preview values and per-branch overrides.
- [Deploy on push](/guides/integrations-deploy-on-push): a preview environment for every branch you push.
- [GitHub integration](/guides/integrations-github): keep platform branches in sync with your repo.

## Related pages

- [`Alchemy`](/guides/integrations-alchemy): Provision Prisma Postgres and deploy applications to Prisma Compute in one TypeScript stack.
- [`Deploy Button`](/guides/integrations-deploy-button): Add a Deploy with Prisma button that copies a public Composer repository and starts a Composer-managed deployment.
- [`Deploy on push`](/guides/integrations-deploy-on-push): Graduate a Composer app from manual deploys to a Git workflow, with production deploys on push and an isolated preview environment per branch.
- [`Deployments`](/guides/features-2-compute-deployments): How deploys create service versions on Prisma Compute, and how to inspect, promote, roll back, start, and stop them.
- [`Domains`](/guides/features-2-compute-domains): Point a custom domain at a production app and the platform verifies DNS and provisions TLS for you.

## Related pages

- [Authentication & Tools](./authentication-tools-index.md)
- [Build](./build-index.md)
- [Changelog](../changelog.md)
- [Concepts](./concepts-index.md)
- [Console commands](./console-commands-index.md)
- [Contract Authoring](./contract-authoring-index.md)
- [Core Concepts](./core-concepts-index.md)
- [Data Modeling](./data-modeling-index.md)
- [Database](./database-index.md)
- [DB commands](./db-commands-index.md)

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