What is the Difference Between Git Pull and Git Fetch?

When working with remote Git repositories, you'll frequently need to synchronize your local code with changes from other developers. Git provides two main commands for this: git pull and git fetch. While they might seem similar, they work very differently and choosing the wrong one can lead to unexpected merge conflicts or lost work.

In this guide, you'll learn exactly what each command does, when to use them, and how they fit into different development workflows.

Prerequisites

You'll need Git installed and a basic understanding of Git concepts like branches, commits, and remote repositories. Having experience with a shared repository on GitHub, GitLab, or similar platforms will help you understand the practical scenarios.

Understanding Git Fetch

The git fetch command downloads commits, files, and references from a remote repository into your local repository, but it doesn't automatically merge or modify your current working branch. Think of it as a safe way to see what others have been working on.

When you run git fetch, Git contacts the remote repository and downloads any new data:

git fetch origin

This command downloads all new branches and commits from the origin remote, but your current branch remains unchanged. The fetched data is stored in your local repository under remote tracking branches like origin/main or origin/feature-branch.

To see what was fetched, you can examine the remote branches:

# See all remote tracking branches
git branch -r

# Compare your local main with the remote main
git log HEAD..origin/main --oneline

This shows you exactly what commits exist on the remote that you don't have locally, without affecting your current work.

Understanding Git Pull

The git pull command is essentially a combination of git fetch followed by git merge. It downloads the latest changes from the remote repository and immediately attempts to merge them into your current branch.

When you run git pull, Git performs two operations:

git pull origin main

This is equivalent to running:

git fetch origin main
git merge origin/main

The pull command automatically merges the remote changes into your current branch, which can be convenient but also potentially problematic if you have uncommitted changes or if there are conflicts.

Key Differences in Practice

The fundamental difference lies in what happens to your working directory and current branch. Let's explore this with a practical example.

Imagine you're working on a feature and want to see if anyone has updated the main branch:

Using git fetch:

# Safely download updates without changing your current work
git fetch origin

# Review what changed on the remote main branch
git log --oneline main..origin/main

# See the actual changes
git diff main origin/main

# Decide when and how to merge
git checkout main
git merge origin/main

Using git pull (from the main branch):

# Downloads and immediately merges changes
git pull origin main

The fetch approach gives you control over when and how to integrate changes, while pull does it automatically.

When to Use Git Fetch

Use git fetch when you want to review changes before integrating them into your work. This is particularly valuable in these scenarios:

Before starting new work: Check what others have done recently to avoid working on something that's already been completed or to understand recent changes that might affect your work.

git fetch origin
git log --oneline --graph --all -10

When you have uncommitted changes: If you're in the middle of work and want to see remote updates without risking your current changes.

# You have uncommitted work
git status
# On branch feature/user-auth
# Changes not staged for commit:
#   modified: src/auth.js

# Safely check for remote updates
git fetch origin
git log HEAD..origin/feature/user-auth --oneline

Before merging or rebasing: Review exactly what you're about to integrate to avoid surprises.

git fetch origin
git diff HEAD origin/main
# Review the changes, then decide how to integrate them
git merge origin/main
# or
git rebase origin/main

When to Use Git Pull

Use git pull when you're confident about integrating remote changes immediately and you don't have uncommitted work that might conflict.

For simple, linear updates: When you're on a stable branch like main and just want to get the latest updates quickly.

# On main branch with no local changes
git pull origin main

In automated scripts: When you want to ensure you have the latest code as part of a deployment or build process.

#!/bin/bash
cd /path/to/project
git pull origin main
npm install
npm run build

When collaborating closely: If you're pair programming or working very closely with someone on the same branch and you trust their changes.

Handling Different Scenarios

Working with Uncommitted Changes

If you have uncommitted changes and try to pull, Git will either auto-merge or refuse the operation:

# This might fail if there are conflicts
git pull origin main
# error: Your local changes to 'file.js' would be overwritten by merge.

The safer approach is to stash your changes first:

# Save your work temporarily
git stash

# Pull the latest changes
git pull origin main

# Restore your work
git stash pop

Or use fetch to review first:

git fetch origin
# Review what would change
git diff origin/main
# Commit your work, then merge
git add . && git commit -m "Work in progress"
git merge origin/main

Fast-Forward vs Merge Commits

By default, git pull creates merge commits when the histories have diverged. You can control this behavior:

# Only fast-forward, fail if not possible
git pull --ff-only origin main

# Always create a merge commit
git pull --no-ff origin main

# Rebase instead of merge
git pull --rebase origin main

Many teams prefer the rebase option to maintain a cleaner, linear history:

# Set this as default for pulls
git config pull.rebase true

Best Practices for Team Workflows

For most development workflows, git fetch followed by explicit merging or rebasing gives you better control:

# Daily workflow
git fetch origin
git checkout main
git merge origin/main
git checkout feature/my-feature
git rebase main

This approach lets you see what's changed, update your main branch cleanly, and then decide how to integrate those changes into your feature branch.

When working on shared feature branches, communicate with your team before pulling to avoid conflicts:

# Check what teammates have pushed
git fetch origin
git log feature/shared-feature..origin/feature/shared-feature --oneline
# Coordinate with team before merging

For release branches or critical code, always use git fetch first to review changes:

git fetch origin
git diff release/v1.2..origin/release/v1.2
# Careful review before integrating
git merge origin/release/v1.2

Configuring Git for Your Workflow

You can configure Git to match your preferred workflow. To make pull always rebase instead of merge:

git config --global pull.rebase true

To make pull only work when it can fast-forward:

git config --global pull.ff only

These settings help prevent unexpected merge commits and encourage more deliberate integration of changes.

Understanding the difference between git pull and git fetch gives you better control over how you integrate remote changes into your work. Use git fetch when you want to review before integrating, and git pull when you're confident about immediate integration. This approach reduces conflicts and helps maintain cleaner project history.