Getting changes from a Git Repository

Git manages local and remote repositories, allowing collaborators to work independently and push finalized changes to the central repository. To avoid conflicts, local copies should be updated regularly using pull or fetch.

• Local repositories store a personal copy of the project.
• Updates from others aren’t automatic—manual pull/fetch is needed.
• git pull = fetch + merge (updates local copy immediately).
• git fetch = download only, allows review before merging.
• Regular updates prevent conflicts and duplicated work.

Git provides two primary commands for this: git pull and git fetch.

1. Git Pull Command

The git pull command updates your local repository by fetching and merging changes from a remote repository.

Syntax:

git pull <remote> <branch-name>

How it works:

git pull is essentially a combination of:

git fetch + git merge

Attributes of git pull:

• --no-commit: Merges branches but skips automatic commit.

git pull <remote> --no-commit

--rebase: Merges changes without creating an extra merge commit, keeping history cleaner.

git pull <remote> <branch-name> --rebase

--verbase: Displays detailed information about files and merge operations during the pull.

git pull <remote> --verbose

2. Git Fetch Command

The git fetch command downloads updates from the remote repository but does not merge them automatically into your local branches. This allows you to review changes before integrating them.

Syntax:

git fetch <remote>

Attributes of git fetch:

• --all: Fetches all registered remotes along with their branches.

git fetch --all

--dry-run: Simulates a fetch operation without applying changes.

git fetch --dry-run

Git pull Vs Git fetch