What Is the Difference between ‘Git Pull’ and ‘Git Fetch’?
git pull and git fetch are both Git commands used to update your local repository with changes from a remote repository. However, they work differently.
git pull
git pullis used to fetch changes from a remote repository and integrate them into your current branch.- It automatically merges the fetched changes into your current branch.
- It is essentially a combination of
git fetchfollowed bygit merge.
git fetch
git fetchis used to retrieve changes from a remote repository without integrating them into your current branch.- It updates your remote tracking branches (e.g.,
origin/master) to reflect the changes in the remote repository. - It does not modify your working directory or your current branch.
- After fetching, you can review the changes and decide how to integrate them into your local repository using commands like
git mergeorgit rebase.
Key Differences
- Integration of Changes
git pullintegrates changes automatically into your current branch.git fetchonly retrieves changes and leaves it to you to decide how to integrate them.
- Safety and Control
git pullcan potentially lead to unexpected merge conflicts if there are changes both locally and remotely.git fetchgives you more control over the integration process and allows you to review changes before merging.
- Workflow
git pullis convenient for quickly updating your local branch with changes from the remote and immediately incorporating them.git fetchis suitable for more cautious workflows where you want to review changes before merging them into your local branch.
Recommendations
- If you're working in a collaborative environment and want to quickly update your local branch with remote changes,
git pullmight be more convenient. - If you prefer a more controlled approach and want to review changes before integrating them, use
git fetchfollowed by a merge or rebase.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
-
How Do I Delete a Git Branch Locally and Remotely?
To delete a Git branch both locally and remotely, you'll need to follow a couple of steps. Here's how you can do it: Step 1: Delete the branch locally First, you need to delete the branch from your...
Questions -
Can git be used as a backup tool?
Git is primarily a version control system rather than a traditional backup tool. While it can help you manage and track changes to your source code and other text-based files, it is not designed as...
Questions -
How Do I Undo the Most Recent Local Commits in Git?
To undo the most recent local commits in Git, you have a few options depending on what you want to achieve. Here's how you can do it: Undoing the commit but keeping changes: If you want to keep the...
Questions
Make your mark
Join the writer's program
Are you a developer and love writing and sharing your knowledge with the world? Join our guest writing program and get paid for writing amazing technical guides. We'll get them to the right readers that will appreciate them.
Write for us
Build on top of Better Stack
Write a script, app or project on top of Better Stack and share it with the world. Make a public repository and share it with us at our email.
community@betterstack.comor submit a pull request and help us build better products for everyone.
See the full list of amazing projects on github