Tech moves fast! Stay ahead of the curve with Techopedia!
Join nearly 200,000 subscribers who receive actionable tech insights from Techopedia.
Branch
Definition - What does Branch mean?
A branch in a computer program is an instruction that tells a computer to begin executing different instructions rather than simply executing the instructions in order. In high-level languages, these are typically referred to as flow control procedures and are built into the language. In assembly programming, branch instructions are built into a CPU.
Techopedia explains Branch
Branching is a basic concept in computer science. It means an instruction that tells a computer to begin executing a different part of a program rather than executing statements one-by-one.
Branching is implemented as a series of control flow statements in high-level programming languages. These can include:
- If statements
- For loops
- While loops
- Goto statements
Branching instructions are also implemented at the CPU level, though they are much less sophisticated than the kinds of instructions found in high-level languages. These instructions are accessed through assembly programming and are also referred to as "jump" instructions.
![[Free Report] Salesforce CRM vs. Oracle Sales Cloud](http://cdn.techopedia.com/images/uploads/salesforce-vs-oracle1.jpg?mode=fit&width=200&height=150)
![[Free eGuide] No Bugs, No Stress - Your Step by Step Guide to Creating Life-Changing Software Without Destroying Your Life](http://cdn.techopedia.com/images/uploads/w_rafb01c8w.jpg?mode=fit&width=200&height=150)
![[Techopedia Exclusive] Increase DevOps team productivity and efficiency.](http://cdn.techopedia.com/images/uploads/lp-docdownload-devops-guide-aad.jpg?mode=fit&width=200&height=150)
