All commands

git pull

intermediate

Fetch the remote and fold it into your current branch.

git pull
Where this fits in the command map

What it does

git pull is two commands in one coat: a fetch (download remote objects + update remote-tracking refs) followed by a merge of those updates into your current branch. You can configure it to rebase instead of merge — either way your branch advances to include the remote work.

Your machine

local repository

main
objects downloaded, then merged ↓

Remote origin

everything.git

refs/heads/main← merges down

New objects travel down, then a merge integrates them into your branch

Watch it — press play

A narrated, step-by-step walkthrough that shows how to do it — not just theory. It adapts to the learner mode you picked in the top bar.

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Step 1

Sync with the team

git pull fetches the remote's new work, then merges it into your current branch.

git pull

Your machine

local repository

main
objects downloaded, then merged ↓

Remote origin

everything.git

refs/heads/main← merges down

Objects come down…

Under the hood

1

Fetch + merge (default)

git pull = git fetch (get origin/main's new commits as refs/remotes/origin/main) then git merge origin/main on your side. The merge may be a fast-forward or create a merge commit — same logic as any merge.

2

Fast-forward is the typical happy path

If you've made no local commits, pulling is a pure pointer move: your branch slides to the remote's tip. No merge commit, linear history preserved.

3

--rebase is the linearity savior

git pull --rebase fetches, then replays your local commits on top of the remote's without creating a merge bubble. Configure pull.rebase true and your branch history stays a clean train.

4

Divergence means conflict work

If both you and the remote changed the same lines, the pull stops with conflicts. Resolve → git add → git commit (or git rebase --continue with --rebase).

Command anatomy

git pull [--rebase]
--rebase

Replay your commits on the remote's new base instead of merging.

--ff-only

Refuse a non-fast-forward merge — fail rather than diverge.

--tags

Also pull tags from the remote.

When to reach for it

Daily sync with the team: git pull before starting a workday block.

git pull --rebase main keeps your WIP branch linear against a fast-moving main.

git pull --ff-only when you want an explicit 'stay in sync, never diverge' discipline.

Practice

A real repo, pre-seeded with history, runs right here — stage, commit, branch, stash, diff, even hit and resolve a real merge conflict. Nothing to install, nothing leaves your machine.

Open practice playground

Go deeper with

git fetch

Download the remote's objects — without merging, without touching your work.

git merge

Fold the history of another branch into yours.

git rebase

Re-apply your commits on top of a new base — and rewrite history.

git push

Upload your branch's commits and advance the remote branch.