github.com/pachyderm/pachyderm@v1.13.4/doc/docs/1.10.x/concepts/data-concepts/branch.md (about)

     1  # Branch
     2  
     3  A Pachyderm branch is a pointer, or an alias, to a commit that
     4  moves along with new commits as they are submitted. By default,
     5  when you create a repository, Pachyderm does not create any branches.
     6  Most users prefer to create a `master` branch by initiating the first
     7  commit and specifying the `master` branch in the `put file` command.
     8  Also, you can create additional branches to experiment with the data.
     9  Branches enable collaboration between teams of data scientists.
    10  However, many users find it sufficient to
    11  use the master branch for all their work. Although the concept of a
    12  branch is similar to Git branches, in most cases, branches are not
    13  used as extensively as in source code version-control systems.
    14  
    15  Each branch has a `HEAD` which references the latest commit in the
    16  branch. Pachyderm pipelines look at the `HEAD` of the branch
    17  for changes and, if they detect new changes, trigger a job. When you
    18  commit a new change, the `HEAD` of the branch moves to the latest commit.
    19  
    20  Sometimes you might see no `HEAD` in a branch. This happens when a branch
    21  does not have any commits yet or if all commits were deleted.
    22  This can also occur if you create a pipeline that takes an
    23  input that does not yet exist. In the example below, the `test` branch
    24  does not have a `HEAD`.
    25  
    26  To view a list of branches in a repo, run the `pachctl list branch` command.
    27  
    28  !!! example
    29      ```shell
    30      pachctl list branch images
    31      ```
    32  
    33      **System Response:**
    34  
    35      ```shell
    36      BRANCH HEAD
    37      test   -
    38      master c32879ae0e6f4b629a43429b7ec10ccc
    39      ```