Pact Foundation

Hi there, Im just reading up on <https://docs.pact.io/pact_nirvana/step_5> and am a little confused, where it says
```
Configure your consumer build to run the Pact tests and publish its pact to the Broker as part of its main build (consult the documentation for your chosen language). Consumer Pact tests typically run after the unit tests, and before deploying to a test environment.```
If I have unit tests and pact tests etc running on every PR build, on different feature or task branches (e.g. `feature/PACT-101-do-something-cool`), should I publish it to pact broker as part of this PR build, using commit sha and branch (e.g. HEAD), or do I only do it on PR approval, at which point the feature branch merges into `develop` branch? (we follow git flow consumer side)

I guess the tag name in this sense will always be `HEAD` then along with the git sha

the tag would probably be `master` or `main`

eh ok im confused again sorry, I thought I read we use branch and git sha instead of the legacy tagging?

so I run the pact tests and publish task every PR build, which runs on different feature branches

once PR is approved its merged into `develop` branch

which then triggers a build again on `develop` branch

ha yes well you said `tag` so I gave you the equivalent

the CI/CD workshop I think explains it better, but that’s just the way I digest content (howtolearn)

Here are a number of useful hands-on labs that teach all of the key concepts: <https://docs.pactflow.io/docs/workshops> and <https://docs.pact.io/implementation_guides/workshops>

Hey sorry have a couple more questions around this

im just looking at this in regards to my consumer app's PR validation pipeline...

but the docs seem to suggest using branches and record deployment/release instead of tags, so ive gone with that newer approach

for my PR builds (before its merged into develop branch (staging)), do i need to apply a "tag" there, or do i need to "record a deployment" ? or do i do neither as its not really deployed to an environment until the PR is merged into develop/staging ?

Keep using branches and releases. I know this doc is being actively worked on with some great input from community as we transition from tags. Avoid tags if you're on the newer approach.

You don't record a deployment before a PR is merged, unless of course you do deploy before merge.

awesome im on the right track then :slightly_smiling_face: