Both `git fetch` and `git pull` are Git commands used to update your local repository with changes from a remote repository. However, they have different behaviors and use cases:
1. **git fetch**:
- When you run `git fetch`, Git contacts the remote repository and fetches any new changes that have been made there. These changes are downloaded to your local repository but are not automatically merged into your working branch.
- `git fetch` updates the remote-tracking branches (e.g., `origin/master`), which are pointers to the state of branches on the remote repository. It allows you to see what changes have been made on the remote without affecting your local working branch.
- After fetching, you can inspect the changes, compare branches, and decide whether to merge or rebase your local branch to incorporate the remote changes.
2. **git pull**:
- When you run `git pull`, Git fetches the changes from the remote repository just like `git fetch`, but it also automatically tries to merge those changes into your current local branch.
- If there are no conflicts between your local changes and the fetched changes from the remote, `git pull` performs an automatic merge.
- If there are conflicts, Git will stop the process and prompt you to resolve the conflicts manually before completing the merge.
In summary:
- Use `git fetch` to fetch remote changes and update your local repository's references without automatically merging them into your working branch. This allows you to review changes before merging.
- Use `git pull` to fetch remote changes and automatically merge them into your working branch. This can be convenient for quickly updating your local branch with remote changes but may require conflict resolution.
It's generally considered a good practice to use `git fetch` followed by reviewing the changes and then deciding whether to merge or rebase, as it provides better control over what gets merged into your working branch and helps avoid unexpected conflicts.
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