Git remote examples: Interacting with Github and other External Repos

Git remote examples: Interacting with Github and other External Repos

Last updated:
Table of Contents

What is a git remote

A remote is a nickname for an external repository that you want to interact with.

origin is the name git gives to the original repository when you make a copy of (clone) it:

List remotes

$ git remote

$ git clone git@github.com:username/my-repo.git
$ cd my-repo
my-repo$ git remote
origin

Show information about remote

$ git remote show <remote_name>

Includes the git url, tracked branches, etc.

$ git clone git@github.com:username/my-repo.git
$ cd my-repo
my-repo$ git remote show origin
* remote origin
  Fetch URL: git@github.com:username/my-repo.git
  Push  URL: git@github.com:username/my-repo.git
  HEAD branch: master
  Remote branches:
    branch_1                    tracked
    branch_2                    tracked
    master                      tracked
  Local branch configured for 'git pull':
    master merges with remote master
  Local ref configured for 'git push':
    master pushes to master (up to date)

Add new remote

TEMPLATE: $ git remote add <remote_name> <repo_url>

To add a new remote called origin:

$ git remote add origin git@github.com:username/my-repo.git
$ git remote 
origin

Delete remote

TEMPLATE: $ git remote rm <remote_name>

To delete remote called origin:

$ git remote rm origin

Change origin of repository

Say you have a git repository that points to a remote repo (origin) and you want to change it.

$ git remote rm origin
$ git remote add origin git@github.com:username/project.git
$ git config master.remote origin
$ git config master.merge refs/heads/master

Show all remotes

$ git remote -v

Fetch remote branch

If you have a copy of a repository that doesn't include all branches, you can fetch a branch individually:

TEMPLATE: git fetch origin my-branch:my-branch then git checkout my-branch

$ git fetch origin branch-1:branch-1
remote: Enumerating objects: 90284, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (90284/90284), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (26670/26670), done.
remote: Total 88353 (delta 56434), reused 84439 (delta 53035), pack-reused 0
Receiving objects: 100% (88353/88353), 16.71 MiB | 1.31 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (56434/56434), completed with 1181 local objects.
From github.com:username/my-repo
 * branch            branch-1 -> FETCH_HEAD
$ git branch
* master
  branch-1

Delete branch locally and on remote

you must use -D instead of -d of you want to force-delete an unmerged branch

Use git branch -d <branch_name> to delete it locally, git push <remote_name> --delete <branch_name> to delete it remotely:

  • 1) Delete the branch locally

    $ git branch -d old-branch
Deleted branch old-branch (was eeb9376).

  • 2) Delete the branch on remote

    $ git push origin --delete old-branch
To git@github.com:username/my-repo.git
 - [deleted]         old-branch

Clone branch

To git clone a branch only (my-branch):

$ git clone -b my-branch git@github.com:my-user/repo.git repo-my-branch

git

Archive

Dialogue & Discussion