What is the difference between git pull and git fetch in Salesforce?

Tagged: Difference, Git, Git Fetch, Git Merge, Git Pull, Local Repository

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What is the difference between git pull and git fetch in Salesforce?

Posted by Prachi on August 10, 2018 at 5:54 am

What is the difference between git pull and git fetch in Salesforce?

Pooja replied 4 years, 9 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
4 Replies

chanchal kumar

Member
August 10, 2018 at 6:23 am

Hello Prachi

Git pull command pulls new changes or commits from a particular branch from your central repository and updates your target branch in your local repository.

Git fetch is also used for the same purpose but it works in a slightly different way. When you perform a git fetch, it pulls all new commits from the desired branch and stores it in a new branch in your local repository. If you want to reflect these changes in your target branch, git fetch must be followed with a git merge. Your target branch will only be updated after merging the target branch and fetched branch. Just to make it easy for you, remember the equation below:

git pull = git fetch + git merge
Parul

Member
September 28, 2018 at 5:37 pm

git fetch really only downloads new data from a remote repository - but it doesn't integrate any of this new data into your working files. Fetch is great for getting a fresh view on all the things that happened in a remote repository.
Due to it's "harmless" nature, you can rest assured: fetch will never manipulate, destroy, or screw up anything. This means you can never fetch often enough.

git pull, in contrast, is used with a different goal in mind: to update your current HEAD branch with the latest changes from the remote server. This means that pull not only downloads new data; it also directly integrates it into your current working copy files.
Parul

Member
September 28, 2018 at 5:37 pm

Adding some points:

A bare repository is nothing but the .git folder itself i.e. the contents of a bare repository is same as the contents of .git folder inside your local working repository. Use bare repository on a remote server to allow multiple contributors to push their work.

Thanks
Pooja

Member
February 12, 2020 at 2:31 pm

Git pull - In Salesforce, Git pull can update and merge any remote changes of the present branch you are on.

Git fetch - In Salesforce, Git fetch can update only the branch you are on, however not merge any changes in.