If you're using Git regularly, you've probably typed git pull dozens of times.
But have you ever wondered what the difference is between git pull and git fetch?
They sound similar, but they do very different things.
Knowing the difference can save you from some serious merge headaches.
Let’s use a simple analogy: your mailbox.
git fetch is like checking your mailbox to see if there’s any new mail.git pull is like checking the mailbox and opening the letters, reading them, and placing them into your notebook.
Here’s what that means in practice:
git fetch: The Careful Checker
When you run git fetch, Git connects to your remote repository (like GitHub) and sees if there are any new commits on the branches you’re tracking.
If there are, it downloads them but doesn’t touch your working directory.
You're just saying, “Show me what’s new, but don’t mess with my files yet.”
Example:
git fetch origin
After that, you can inspect what’s changed:
git log HEAD..origin/main
This gives you control.
You can review changes before bringing them into your local branch.
git pull: The Eager Executor
On the other hand, git pull is like fetch plus merge.
It fetches the new commits and tries to merge them into your current branch right away.
Example:
git pull origin main
This is faster if you just want to stay up to date - but risky if you're in the middle of something.
If there are conflicts, Git will interrupt with a merge conflict you’ll need to fix before moving on.
So Which One Should You Use?
- Use
git fetch when you want to review changes before updating. - Use
git pull when you're ready to bring in changes now.
Start with git fetch if you’re not sure - it’s the safer option.
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