What is the difference between 'git pull' and 'git fetch'?

Absolutely! Here's a detailed breakdown of the differences between git pull and git fetch with code examples:

Understanding the Git Workflow:

Imagine your Git repository as having two locations for your code:

• Remote Repository: This is typically hosted on a platform like GitHub or GitLab. It acts as the central source of truth for your project.
• Local Repository: This is a copy of the remote repository on your machine. It allows you to work on the code offline and commit changes before pushing them back to the remote repository.

1. git fetch

• Function: Fetches the latest changes from the remote repository without integrating them into your local working directory.
• Use Case: Ideal for situations where you want to:
  • Stay updated with the latest changes on the remote branch without modifying your local working directory.
  • See what changes have been made on the remote branch before merging them into your local branch.
• Code Example:

Bash

git fetch origin  # Fetches changes from the remote named "origin"

2. git pull

• Function: Performs two actions in one command:
  • Fetches the latest changes from the remote repository (similar to git fetch).
  • Attempts to merge those changes into your current local branch.
• Use Case: Suitable when you want to:
  • Download and integrate the latest changes from the remote branch into your local working directory.
  • Keep your local branch in sync with the remote branch.
• Code Example:

Bash

git pull origin  # Fetches and merges changes from the remote named "origin"

Key Differences:

Feature	git fetch	git pull
Action	Fetches changes only	Fetches and merges changes
Local Changes	Unaffected	Merged with remote changes (may cause conflicts)
Working Directory	Not modified	Updated with merged changes

Choosing Between git fetch and git pull

• Use git fetch when you want to see what's changed on the remote branch before integrating it into your local work.
• Use git pull when you're ready to incorporate the latest remote changes into your local branch and potentially resolve merge conflicts if they arise.

Additional Considerations:

• A successful git pull signifies a clean merge without conflicts. However, if there are overlapping changes in the same file on both the remote and local branches, git pull will halt and prompt you to resolve the conflicts manually before completing the merge.
• git pull is generally considered a convenient shortcut, but understanding the underlying functionalities of git fetch and git merge (which git pull performs in the background) provides greater control over your Git workflow.

Here is Oliver Steele's image of how all it all fits together:

In the simplest terms, git pull does a git fetch followed by a git merge.

---

git fetch updates your remote-tracking branches under refs/remotes/<remote>/. This operation is safe to run at any time since it never changes any of your local branches under refs/heads.

git pull brings a local branch up-to-date with its remote version, while also updating your other remote-tracking branches.

From the Git documentation for git pull:

git pull runs git fetch with the given parameters and then depending on configuration options or command line flags, will call either git rebase or git merge to reconcile diverging branches.