BRANCH_PROTECTION_RULES.md

# 🛡️ Branch Protection Rules & Release Guidelines

This document outlines the recommended branch protection rules and release management guidelines for the Algorithmic Trading System.

## 🔒 Branch Protection Rules

### **Main Branch Protection**

#### **Required Status Checks**
```yaml
# Quality Assurance
- ci-cd/quality-check
- ci-cd/test
- ci-cd/security

# Trading-Specific
- ci-cd/backtesting
- ci-cd/model-training

# Deployment
- ci-cd/docker-build
- ci-cd/docker-push
```

#### **Required Reviews**
```yaml
# Code Review Requirements
- Require pull request reviews: 2
- Dismiss stale reviews: true
- Require review from code owners: true
- Require review from trading experts: true

# Review Restrictions
- Restrict pushes: true
- Allow force pushes: false
- Allow deletions: false
```

#### **Code Quality Gates**
```yaml
# Test Coverage
- Minimum coverage: 80%
- Coverage decrease threshold: 5%

# Security Requirements
- No critical vulnerabilities
- No high severity issues
- Security scan passed

# Performance Requirements
- Strategy backtesting passed
- Performance benchmarks met
- Risk limits validated
```

### **Development Branch Rules**

#### **Feature Branches**
```yaml
# Naming Convention
- Pattern: feature/description
- Examples: feature/new-strategy, feature/risk-management

# Protection Level
- Require status checks: ci-cd/quality-check, ci-cd/test
- Require reviews: 1
- Allow force pushes: false
```

#### **Hotfix Branches**
```yaml
# Naming Convention
- Pattern: hotfix/issue-description
- Examples: hotfix/critical-bug, hotfix/security-patch

# Protection Level
- Require status checks: ALL
- Require reviews: 2
- Require trading expert approval
- Allow force pushes: false
```

## 🏷️ Release Management Guidelines

### **Version Numbering (Semantic Versioning)**
```yaml
# Format: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
- MAJOR: Breaking changes, major strategy updates
- MINOR: New features, strategy enhancements
- PATCH: Bug fixes, security patches

# Examples
- v1.0.0: Initial release
- v1.1.0: New trading strategy added
- v1.1.1: Bug fix in risk management
- v2.0.0: Major architecture change
```

### **Release Types**

#### **Major Releases (vX.0.0)**
**Requirements:**
- ✅ Full test suite passes
- ✅ Security audit completed
- ✅ Performance benchmarks met
- ✅ Trading expert approval
- ✅ Risk management review
- ✅ Documentation updated
- ✅ Migration guide provided

**Examples:**
- New trading algorithm implementation
- Major FinRL model architecture change
- Significant API changes
- Risk management system overhaul

#### **Minor Releases (vX.Y.0)**
**Requirements:**
- ✅ All tests pass
- ✅ Backtesting validation
- ✅ Performance impact assessed
- ✅ Code review completed
- ✅ Documentation updated

**Examples:**
- New technical indicators
- Strategy parameter optimization
- Enhanced risk controls
- New data sources

#### **Patch Releases (vX.Y.Z)**
**Requirements:**
- ✅ Regression tests pass
- ✅ Security scan clean
- ✅ Quick review by maintainer
- ✅ Release notes updated

**Examples:**
- Bug fixes
- Security patches
- Performance optimizations
- Documentation corrections

### **Release Process**

#### **1. Pre-Release Checklist**
```yaml
# Code Quality
- [ ] All CI/CD checks pass
- [ ] Code coverage > 80%
- [ ] No security vulnerabilities
- [ ] Performance benchmarks met

# Trading Validation
- [ ] Strategy backtesting passed
- [ ] Risk limits validated
- [ ] Model performance acceptable
- [ ] Compliance checks passed

# Documentation
- [ ] README updated
- [ ] API documentation current
- [ ] Changelog prepared
- [ ] Migration notes (if needed)
```

#### **2. Release Creation**
```bash
# Create release branch
git checkout -b release/v1.2.0

# Update version
# Update CHANGELOG.md
# Update documentation

# Create tag
git tag -a v1.2.0 -m "Release v1.2.0: Enhanced risk management"

# Push tag (triggers release workflow)
git push origin v1.2.0
```

#### **3. Post-Release Validation**
```yaml
# Automated Checks
- [ ] Docker image built successfully
- [ ] Documentation deployed
- [ ] Release notes published
- [ ] Notifications sent

# Manual Verification
- [ ] Test deployment in staging
- [ ] Strategy performance validation
- [ ] Risk management verification
- [ ] User acceptance testing
```

## 🚨 Critical Trading Rules

### **Risk Management Validation**
```yaml
# Position Limits
- Maximum position size: 100 shares
- Maximum portfolio allocation: 5%
- Maximum drawdown: 5%

# Strategy Validation
- Minimum Sharpe ratio: 0.5
- Maximum volatility: 20%
- Minimum backtesting period: 6 months

# Compliance Checks
- Regulatory compliance verified
- Risk limits enforced
- Audit trail maintained
```

### **Emergency Procedures**

#### **Critical Bug in Production**
```yaml
# Immediate Actions
1. Stop trading immediately
2. Create hotfix branch
3. Apply emergency patch
4. Deploy to production
5. Notify stakeholders

# Post-Emergency
1. Root cause analysis
2. Process improvement
3. Documentation update
4. Team review
```

#### **Security Incident**
```yaml
# Response Steps
1. Assess impact
2. Contain threat
3. Apply security patch
4. Verify fix
5. Deploy update
6. Monitor closely
```

## 📋 Code Owner Rules

### **CODEOWNERS File**
```yaml
# Core Trading Logic
/agentic_ai_system/strategy_agent.py @trading-expert
/agentic_ai_system/finrl_agent.py @ml-expert
/agentic_ai_system/execution_agent.py @trading-expert

# Risk Management
/agentic_ai_system/risk_management.py @risk-expert
/config.yaml @trading-expert

# Infrastructure
/Dockerfile @devops-expert
/.github/ @devops-expert

# Documentation
/README.md @tech-writer
/docs/ @tech-writer
```

### **Review Requirements**
```yaml
# Trading Code
- Must be reviewed by trading expert
- Must pass backtesting validation
- Must meet risk management criteria

# ML Models
- Must be reviewed by ML expert
- Must pass performance validation
- Must include model documentation

# Infrastructure
- Must be reviewed by DevOps expert
- Must pass security scan
- Must include deployment plan
```

## 🔍 Quality Gates

### **Automated Checks**
```yaml
# Code Quality
- Black formatting check
- Flake8 linting (max 10 complexity)
- Type hints coverage > 90%
- Docstring coverage > 80%

# Security
- Bandit security scan
- Safety dependency check
- Trivy container scan
- Secret detection

# Performance
- Strategy execution time < 100ms
- Memory usage < 1GB
- CPU usage < 80%
- API response time < 500ms
```

### **Manual Reviews**
```yaml
# Code Review Checklist
- [ ] Logic is correct
- [ ] Error handling adequate
- [ ] Performance acceptable
- [ ] Security considerations
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Tests added/updated

# Trading Review Checklist
- [ ] Strategy logic sound
- [ ] Risk management adequate
- [ ] Performance metrics acceptable
- [ ] Compliance requirements met
- [ ] Backtesting results validated
```

## 📊 Monitoring & Alerts

### **Release Monitoring**
```yaml
# Success Metrics
- Deployment success rate > 95%
- Zero critical bugs in first 24h
- Performance maintained
- User satisfaction > 4.5/5

# Alert Thresholds
- Test failure rate > 5%
- Security vulnerability detected
- Performance degradation > 10%
- Trading error rate > 1%
```

### **Automated Notifications**
```yaml
# Slack Channels
- #trading-alerts: Critical trading issues
- #deployment: Release status
- #security: Security incidents
- #performance: Performance alerts

# Email Notifications
- Release completion
- Critical failures
- Security incidents
- Performance degradation
```

## 🛠️ Implementation Guide

### **GitHub Settings**

#### **1. Branch Protection**
```bash
# Enable branch protection for main
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/branches/main/protection \
  --method PUT \
  --field required_status_checks='{"strict":true,"contexts":["ci-cd/quality-check","ci-cd/test","ci-cd/security"]}' \
  --field enforce_admins=true \
  --field required_pull_request_reviews='{"required_approving_review_count":2,"dismiss_stale_reviews":true}' \
  --field restrictions=null
```

#### **2. Required Status Checks**
```yaml
# In GitHub UI: Settings > Branches > Add rule
Branch name pattern: main
Require status checks to pass before merging: ✅
Require branches to be up to date before merging: ✅
Status checks that are required:
- ci-cd/quality-check
- ci-cd/test
- ci-cd/security
- ci-cd/backtesting
- ci-cd/docker-build
```

#### **3. Review Requirements**
```yaml
# Pull Request Reviews
Require a pull request before merging: ✅
Require approvals: 2
Dismiss stale pull request approvals when new commits are pushed: ✅
Require review from code owners: ✅
Restrict pushes that create files: ✅
```

### **Release Automation**

#### **1. Release Workflow Trigger**
```yaml
# Automatic on tag push
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'
```

#### **2. Release Validation**
```yaml
# Pre-release checks
- All tests pass
- Security scan clean
- Performance benchmarks met
- Documentation updated
```

#### **3. Post-release Monitoring**
```yaml
# 24-hour monitoring
- Error rate monitoring
- Performance tracking
- User feedback collection
- Rollback preparation
```

## 📈 Success Metrics

### **Quality Metrics**
- **Bug Rate**: < 1% of releases
- **Security Incidents**: 0 per quarter
- **Performance Degradation**: < 5%
- **User Satisfaction**: > 4.5/5

### **Process Metrics**
- **Release Frequency**: 2-4 weeks
- **Deployment Time**: < 30 minutes
- **Rollback Time**: < 10 minutes
- **Review Time**: < 24 hours

### **Trading Metrics**
- **Strategy Performance**: > Benchmark
- **Risk Compliance**: 100%
- **System Uptime**: > 99.9%
- **Error Rate**: < 0.1%

---

**Note**: These rules are specifically designed for algorithmic trading systems where code quality directly impacts financial performance and risk management.