Differences Between Git Fetch and Git Pull

Git is a version control system that helps developers manage code changes efficiently. When working in a team, you often need to get the latest updates from a remote repository. Two essential commands for this are git fetch and git pull.

What is Git Fetch?

git fetch is used to download the latest changes from a remote repository without merging them into your local branch. This allows you to review the changes before integrating them into your work.

Example:

/> git fetch origin

This command fetches updates from the remote repository named ‘origin’ but does not merge them automatically.

What is Git Pull?

git pull is used to fetch changes from a remote repository and automatically merge them into your current branch. It is a combination of git fetch followed by git merge.

Example:

/> git pull origin main

This command fetches the latest changes from the ‘main’ branch of the remote repository named ‘origin’ and merges them into your local branch.

Git Fetch vs Git Pull

	Git Fetch	Git Pull
Functionality	Downloads changes from the remote repository but does not merge them.	Downloads and merges changes from the remote repository into the current branch.
Control	Gives more control as you can review changes before merging.	Automatically merges changes, which might lead to conflicts.
Use Case	Useful when you want to check updates before integrating them.	Useful when you need the latest changes immediately.
Command	/> git fetch origin	/> git pull origin main