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home / developersection / forums / what is the difference between git pull and git fetch?
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Shalini Passi
Shalini Passi

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Shalini Passi Malhotra (born 8 August 1956) is a Delhi-based art and design collector. Shalini Passi Malhotra. Born, (August 1956 (age 68).

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1 Answers

Anubhav Sharma
Anubhav Sharma 01 Dec 2025
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1. git fetch

  • Downloads new commits, branches, and data from the remote repository.
  • Does NOT change your local working files.
  • Just updates your remote-tracking branches (like origin/main).
  • Lets you see what’s changed before merging.

Example:

git fetch origin

After fetching, you can compare:

git diff main origin/main

Safe operation — nothing changes in your current work.

2. git pull

  • Does everything fetch does + automatically merges the new changes into your current branch.

Equivalent to:

git fetch
git merge

(or rebase if configured).

Example:

git pull origin main

Not as safe, because it may cause merge conflicts immediately.

Summary Table

Command Fetches remote changes Updates working directory Risk of conflicts
git fetch Yes No No
git pull Yes Yes (merge/rebase) Yes

When to use what?

  • Use git fetch when:
    • You want to check new changes before merging.
    • You want full control over when to merge.
    • You want to avoid breaking your current code.
  • Use git pull when:
    • You trust the remote changes and want them directly.
    • You want faster updates and don’t need a preview.
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