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This article outlines the steps we can take to update our cloned repository in Git.

Suppose we have a remote repository on GitHub that we forked and cloned on our local machine. How can we update our cloned repository with the original remote repository?

Update Git clone

We previously forked from a GitHub public repository in the example below. After copying the repository to our personal GitHub account, we clone the repository to our local computer.

Now, we want to update our clone with the remote. How do we do that?

We will start by setting up the upstream repository. In simple terms, the upstream is the original repository that we forked from.

We have to go back to the original repository and copy the link to the repository.

To set up the upstream, we will run the following command:

$ git remote add upstream <URL>

Once completed, you can check whether the upstream exists using the command with a double verbose flag git remote, like this:

If there are any changes in the original/central repository, we can git pull upstreambring them to our local repository using the command.

You will have to include a branch to pull from. In our case, we only have one branch, master .

If we have other branches, we can specify which branch to pull from in the command.

To update our master we will run the following command:

$ git pull upstream master

This will fetch the changes and merge them into our master branch.

As shown above, Git will notify you if there are changes.

Finally, we can stage and commit our changes. If there are merge conflicts, you must manually resolve them and commit your changes.

The cycle doesn't end here. Updating branches in GitHub is a logical process.

This is done by pushing the committed changes. We will run the following command:

$ git push origin master

This will keep your forks and clones in sync with the original repository.

Summarize

In short, you can update your Git clone with a central repository by setting the upstream of your clone, after which you can pull any changes to your local repository.

Every time you are going to work on a project, it is always recommended to update your clone, especially when you are working on a joint project. This will ensure that you stay in sync with other developers.