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Pull Branch from GitHub

? Pull Branch from GitHub

? Quick Overview

Pulling a branch from GitHub allows you to fetch and merge the latest changes from a specific remote branch into your local repository, keeping your work synchronized with collaborators.

? Key Concepts

  • Remote repositories store shared project versions
  • Branches isolate features and fixes
  • Pull combines fetch + merge (or rebase)

? Syntax / Theory

Git pulls changes from a remote branch and integrates them into the current branch.

? View Code Example
// Pull a specific branch from a remote repository
git pull origin feature-xyz

? Fetching Before Pulling

Fetching updates first lets you review changes before merging.

? View Code Example
// Fetch all remote branches without merging
git fetch origin

? Checking Out a Remote Branch

If the branch doesn’t exist locally, create and track it.

? View Code Example
// Create and switch to a local branch tracking remote
git checkout -b feature-xyz origin/feature-xyz

? Rebase Instead of Merge

Rebasing keeps commit history linear and clean.

? View Code Example
// Pull changes using rebase instead of merge
git pull --rebase origin feature-xyz

? Viewing Branches

? View Code Example
// List all local branches
git branch
// List remote branches
git branch -r
// List all branches
git branch -a

? Use Cases

  • Collaborating on shared features
  • Updating bug-fix branches
  • Synchronizing long-running branches

? Tips & Best Practices

  • Fetch before pull to inspect changes
  • Rebase for cleaner history
  • Commit or stash local work before pulling

? Try It Yourself

  • Pull a feature branch from GitHub
  • Try pulling with --rebase
  • Resolve a merge conflict manually