Skip to content

08-fork-origin-upstream.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
88 lines (65 loc) · 2.77 KB

08-fork-origin-upstream.md

File metadata and controls

88 lines (65 loc) · 2.77 KB

🔀 Branches, Forks, Origin, And Upstream

<- Previous: Learn Remotes And Cloning Next: Troubleshooting ->

🎯 Outcome

Know when to use a branch, when to use a fork, and what origin and upstream mean in a fork-based workflow.

✅ You Should Be Able To

  • explain the difference between a branch and a fork
  • identify when origin points to your fork
  • add the original repository as upstream

🧠 Key Ideas

  • A branch is a pointer inside one repository.
  • A fork is a separate repository created on GitHub under another account or organization.
  • In a fork workflow, origin usually points to your fork and upstream points to the original repository.

For the main course flow, you do not need a fork. Because this repo is a template, your personal copy already gives you a safe place to practice branches and pull requests.

🌿 When To Use A Branch

Use a branch when you already have write access to the repository and want to isolate work from main.

That is the default workflow for this course once you create your own copy from the template.

Example:

git switch -c feature/profile-page

🍴 When To Use A Fork

Use a fork when you do not have direct write access to the original repository, or when a project expects contributions through personal copies.

Typical flow:

  1. fork the repository on GitHub
  2. clone your fork
  3. add the original repository as upstream
  4. push your work to your fork
  5. open a pull request back to the original repository

🔗 Configure upstream

Clone your fork:

git clone git@github.com:your-username/the-forked-repo.git
cd the-forked-repo

Add the original repository as upstream:

git remote add upstream git@github.com:original-owner/the-repo.git

Fetch updates from the original repository:

git fetch upstream

🧪 Verify

Run:

git remote -v

Expected output includes both remotes:

origin    git@github.com:your-username/the-forked-repo.git (fetch)
origin    git@github.com:your-username/the-forked-repo.git (push)
upstream  git@github.com:original-owner/the-repo.git (fetch)
upstream  git@github.com:original-owner/the-repo.git (push)

🏁 Success Criteria

  • You can explain why a branch stays inside one repository while a fork creates a second repository.
  • You can explain what origin and upstream each point to in a fork workflow.
  • You can explain why this course uses a template copy plus branches instead of asking every learner to work in the academy repository.
  • You can add upstream without deleting origin.
<- Previous: Learn Remotes And Cloning Next: Troubleshooting ->