Main Branch

Fundamentals first, always

About Main Branch

A developer-focused newsletter that cuts through the noise to deliver practical insights you can use immediately.

What We Cover

GitHub Features

Platform updates and workflows that matter for your daily development work, from pull requests to Actions.

Language Fundamentals

TypeScript, Go, and core programming concepts that stand the test of time.

Developer Tools

CI/CD, build tools, and productivity improvements that help you ship better code faster.

Real-World Insights

Practical lessons from shipping code, with a focus on what actually works in production.

Who It's For

Engineers who want signal over noise. Whether you're working on open source, building products, or scaling teams, Main Branch focuses on fundamentals that have lasting impact.

If you're tired of hype-driven newsletters that chase trends, you're in the right place. We cover what matters: the features you'll use 50 times a day, the commands that save hours, and the patterns that make code reviews faster.

About Andrea

I'm Andrea Griffiths, a Senior Developer Advocate at GitHub. I spend my weeks talking to product teams, building demos, and streaming on GitHub's Open Source Friday, Checkout, and other channels.

This newsletter is where I cut through the noise and share what's actually worth your attention. Yes, I'll cover AI stuff too. But fundamentals first. Always.

Topics We Cover

AI CI/CD Code Review CodeQL Cost Optimization Dependabot Developer Tools Git GitHub GitHub Actions Infrastructure Integration MCP OIDC Performance Pull Requests Security TypeScript Version Control Workflow Security

Format

Each issue is a 3-minute read that respects your time. Two features worth knowing, zero corporate speak, always focused on fundamentals. English issues link to full content on Beehiiv. Spanish translations are hosted right here with complete content.

Subscribe

Get Main Branch delivered to your inbox every week. Subscribe on Beehiiv or read past issues in the archive.

Available in both English and Spanish. Lee en español.

Contact

Have feedback or suggestions? Reply to any newsletter issue or find me on GitHub.