What is the difference between git fetch and git pull?

[monukodasseri-wq]

Hi, I am new to Git.

I see both git fetch and git pull are used to get updates from the remote repository. Can someone explain the difference between them and when I should use which?

[muhammedadnank]

Both commands are used to download changes from a remote repository, but they do it in different ways:

1. git fetch (Safe & Non-Destructive)

• What it does: It downloads new commits, files, and branches from the remote repository to your local machine, but does not merge them into your active local working files.
• When to use: Use this when you want to see what your teammates have done without modifying your current local code. You can inspect the fetched changes using git log or git diff origin/main.

2. git pull (Fetch + Merge)

• What it does: It is a shortcut that does two things in one step:
  1. Runs git fetch to download the changes.
  2. Runs git merge to immediately merge those changes into your current active local branch.
• When to use: Use this when you are ready to update your local branch with the latest remote changes and immediately continue working.

Summary

• git fetch = "Go see if there are any updates, but don't touch my files."
• git pull = "Go get the updates and merge them into my active files right now."