Git Fetch and Pull
When other people push to the remote, your local repository does not know about it. You need to bring those changes to your computer. Git has two commands for it: git fetch and git pull.
| git fetch | git pull |
|---|---|
| Downloads the new commits from the remote | Downloads and also merges them into your branch |
| Does not change your files or your branch | Changes your current branch and files |
| Safe, you can check the changes first | May cause a merge or a conflict |
| Same as the first half of pull | Same as git fetch + git merge |
Prepare an example
Alice and Bob share a server. Bob pushes a new commit, and Alice does not have it yet.
git fetch
$ git fetch
From /home/robin/team/server
043f4e2..c8fddda main -> origin/main
$ git status
On branch main
Your branch is behind 'origin/main' by 1 commit, and can be fast-forwarded.
(use "git pull" to update your local branch)
nothing to commit, working tree clean
After the fetch, Git knows that origin/main is one commit ahead. Our files did not change yet. We can look at what is coming before we take it:
$ git log HEAD..origin/main –oneline
c8fddda (origin/main, origin/HEAD) Bob adds bob.txt
$ git diff main origin/main –stat
bob.txt | 1 +
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
If we are happy, we merge it:
$ git merge origin/main
Updating 043f4e2..c8fddda
Fast-forward
bob.txt | 1 +
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
create mode 100644 bob.txt
$ git log –oneline
c8fddda (HEAD -> main, origin/main, origin/HEAD) Bob adds bob.txt
043f4e2 First commit
git pull
The same job in one command. Bob pushes one more commit and Alice uses git pull.
$ cd ../bob
$ echo "bob 2" >> bob.txt
$ git commit -q -am "Bob updates bob.txt"
$ git push -q
$ cd ../alice
$ git pull
From /home/robin/team/server
c8fddda..a0edb46 main -> origin/main
Updating c8fddda..a0edb46
Fast-forward
bob.txt | 1 +
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
Pull with rebase
By default, git pull makes a merge commit if you also have local commits. With --rebase your commits are replayed on top of the remote ones, and the history stays straight.
git pull --rebase
git config --global pull.rebase trueFetch and pull other branches and remotes
git fetch --all
git fetch --prune
git pull origin developThe option --prune removes the local copies of remote branches which are deleted on the server.
Common problems
- Conflicts: if you changed the same lines as the remote commit, read Git Merge Conflict.
- Uncommitted changes: commit or stash your work before the pull.
- “There is no tracking information”: run
git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/mainor usegit pull origin main.
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