What is the difference between 'git pull' and 'git fetch'? - Khurram Softwares -->

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What is the difference between 'git pull' and 'git fetch'?



What is the difference between 'git pull' and 'git fetch'?

git pull and git fetch are both Git commands used to retrieve updates from a remote repository, but they work in slightly different ways.


  • git pull is a combination of two Git commands: git fetch and git merge. When you run git pull, Git first retrieves all the changes from the remote repository using git fetch, and then it merges those changes into your local branch using git merge. This means that git pull updates your local branches with the latest changes from the remote repository, and also automatically merges any conflicts.
  • git fetch, on the other hand, only retrieves the changes from the remote repository and stores them in your local repository, but it doesn't automatically merge them into your local branches. Instead, it stores the changes as separate branches called "remote branches" (e.g. origin/master). This allows you to review the changes before merging them into your local branches. To merge the changes, you would need to run git merge or git rebase command.


Here is a summary of the main differences between git pull and git fetch:


  • git pull automatically merges the remote changes into your local branches, while git fetch stores the changes as separate branches that you need to merge manually.
  • git pull is a convenient way to update your local repository with the latest changes from the remote, but it can also lead to merge conflicts if multiple people have made changes to the same lines of code. git fetch allows you to review the changes before merging them, which can reduce the risk of conflicts.
  • git pull can slow down your workflow if you are working on something and pull the changes from remote which can cause conflicts, whereas git fetch allows you to fetch changes and work on them later.

In general, git pull is useful when you're working on a project alone or with a small team, where conflicts are unlikely and you want to keep your local repository up to date with the remote repository quickly. git fetch is more useful when you're working on a project with a large team, where conflicts are more likely, and you want more control over when and how you merge the remote changes into your local branches.