Git Clone
The git clone command makes a full copy of an existing repository, including all files, branches and the history. You use it when you want to start working on a project which is already there, like a GitHub repository.
Syntax
git clone <repository-url>
git clone <repository-url> <folder-name>The URL can use HTTPS (https://github.com/user/repo.git), SSH (git@github.com:user/repo.git) or even a local folder path.
Clone a repository
To practice without internet, we make a small repository to act as the server, and then clone it. The clone works the same with a GitHub link.
$ git clone server.git my-copy
Cloning into 'my-copy'…
done.
$ cd my-copy
$ ls
README.md
$ git log –oneline
f587a54 (HEAD -> main, origin/main, origin/HEAD) Add README
$ git remote -v
origin /home/robin/server.git (fetch)
origin /home/robin/server.git (push)
After the clone, Git has already set the remote named origin, which points to the place you cloned from.
Clone into a different folder name
git clone https://github.com/user/project.git my-folderClone a specific branch
git clone --branch develop https://github.com/user/project.gitShallow clone (only the latest history)
A big project can have a very long history. If you need only the latest code, you can download just the last commit. It is faster and smaller.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/user/project.gitClone vs download ZIP
| git clone | Download ZIP |
|---|---|
| Gets the full history and all branches | Gets only the files of one branch |
| You can push and pull changes | Not connected to any repository |
Has the .git folder | No .git folder |
| Exercises & Assignments |
|---|
| No Content Found. |
| Interview Questions & Answers |
|---|
| No Content Found. |