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Using a feature branch is the ideal approach when adding new functionality to an application. This practice aligns with modern DevOps and Agile methodologies by promoting isolated development work. By using a feature branch, developers can work on new features without affecting the stability of the main codebase. This allows for experimentation and iterative changes, ensuring that the main branch always reflects a stable version of the application.

Once the feature has been developed and tested, it can be merged back into the main branch through a pull request, enabling code review and continuous integration practices. This process helps in maintaining high-quality code and facilitates effective collaboration among team members.

In this context, release branches are generally used for preparing and stabilizing a version of the application for release, which does not involve adding new functionality. Hotfix branches are intended for urgent fixes to production issues, while development branches often serve as a shared space for early-stage development and integration of various features or changes before they are finalized. Thus, none of those options effectively encapsulate the goal of adding new functionality as clearly as a feature branch does.