MR vs PR

About

MR (Merge Request) and PR (Pull Request) are essentially the same concept with different names depending on the Git hosting service:

Term	Used By
Pull Request (PR)	GitHub, Bitbucket
Merge Request (MR)	GitLab

Despite the different names, both mean:

A developer requests that their code (on a branch) be reviewed and merged into a mainline branch (like main, develop, etc).

They provide a collaboration and review workflow for merging code — with diffs, comments, approvals, and automated checks.

Why the Naming Difference?

• GitHub coined the term Pull Request:

  • You're requesting maintainers to "pull" your changes into their branch.

• GitLab preferred Merge Request:

  • You're asking for your branch to be "merged" into another branch.

Both are semantically correct depending on perspective:

• Pull Request: emphasizes the action from the maintainer’s side.

• Merge Request: emphasizes the end result.

Do They Work Differently Technically?

No.

Both rely on the same underlying Git concepts:

• Comparing two branches.

• Showing diffs between them.

• Option to merge (with or without rebase, squash, etc).

They just wrap this in a web interface and workflow management.

Purpose and Workflow

General Workflow

1. Create a Branch – Work on your feature/fix in isolation.

2. Push to Remote – Push your branch to the server (GitHub/GitLab).

3. Open a PR/MR – Create a pull/merge request.

4. Review Process:

   • Reviewers read the code.

   • Leave comments.

   • Request changes or approve.

   • CI/CD tests run automatically.

5. Merge the Code – Once approved, code is merged into the target branch.

This process supports:

• Code quality enforcement

• Peer reviews

• Automated testing

• Audit trails

Comparison

Feature	Pull Request (PR)	Merge Request (MR)
Used In	GitHub, Bitbucket	GitLab
Terminology Origin	From "git pull"	From "git merge"
Primary Focus	Request to pull code	Request to merge code
Supported Workflows	Forking and branching	Primarily branching
Web UI Behavior	Similar: diff, approve, comment
CI/CD Integration	Strong support in both
Code Review	Supported in both