Beginner · 5 min read

fetch, pull, push: talking to the remote

Your repository and GitHub's are two different copies. Here is how they stay in sync.

fetch: look without touching

Downloads new commits into origin/* branches but never changes your own branches or files. Always safe, run it as often as you like.

Safe

$ git fetch origin
$ git log --oneline HEAD..origin/main

pull: fetch + integrate

pull is fetch followed by a merge (or a rebase with --rebase). That's where conflicts can appear. Pull before starting work and before pushing.

Safe

$ git pull --rebase

push: publish your commits

push sends your commits to the remote. If someone pushed before you, it is rejected: pull, then push again. Never force your way through on a shared branch.

Safe

$ git push -u origin HEAD