Clone, Fetch, Pull and Push
These commands move Git history between your machine and a remote repository.
clone
clone downloads a remote repository for the first time.
git clone https://github.com/user/project.git
After cloning, you have:
- project files,
- commit history,
- branches,
- remote connection named
origin.
Use clone once when starting with an existing project.
fetch
fetch downloads remote history but does not change your working branch.
git fetch origin
This is a safe way to ask:
What changed on GitHub?
After fetching, you can inspect changes before merging.
pull
pull downloads remote changes and integrates them into your current branch.
git pull origin main
Conceptually:
git pull = git fetch + integrate changes
Depending on configuration, integration may happen through merge or rebase.
push
push sends your local commits to the remote.
git push origin feature-login
If the branch does not exist on GitHub yet, this creates it there.
Then you can open a pull request.
Example team workflow
git clone https://github.com/company/api.git
cd api
git switch -c add-login
# edit files
git add .
git commit -m "Add login endpoint"
git push origin add-login
Then open a PR from add-login into main.
Difference between fetch and pull
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
git fetch |
Downloads remote commits, does not touch current work |
git pull |
Downloads and integrates remote commits into current branch |
When learning, fetch is easier to reason about because it is less surprising.
Common mistake
If git push is rejected, do not blindly force push.
It often means the remote has commits you do not have locally.
Usually you should fetch/pull first, resolve any conflicts, then push again.
Force push can overwrite remote history if used incorrectly.
Interview answer
git clone creates a local copy of a remote repository. git fetch downloads remote updates without integrating them. git pull fetches and then merges or rebases into the current branch. git push uploads local commits to the remote branch.