Git - Working with forks

To Nha Notes | June 1, 2021, 8:58 a.m.

A fork is a copy of a repository that you manage. Forks let you make changes to a project without affecting the original repository. You can fetch updates from or submit changes to the original repository with pull requests.

How to fork a repository:

• Make sure you’re logged into GitHub with your account.
• Find the GitHub repository with which you’d like to work.
• Click the Fork button on the upper right-hand side of the repository’s page.

Configuring a remote for a fork:

You must configure a remote that points to the upstream repository in Git to sync changes you make in a fork with the original repository. This also allows you to sync changes made in the original repository with the fork.

• List the current configured remote repository for your fork.

  $ git remote -v
  > origin  https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_FORK.git (fetch)
  > origin  https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_FORK.git (push)
  

• Specify a new remote upstream repository that will be synced with the fork.

  git remote add upstream https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/ORIGINAL_REPOSITORY.git
  

• Verify the new upstream repository you've specified for your fork.

  $ git remote -v
  > origin    https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_FORK.git (fetch)
  > origin    https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_FORK.git (push)
  > upstream  https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/ORIGINAL_REPOSITORY.git (fetch)
  > upstream  https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/ORIGINAL_REPOSITORY.git (push)
  

Syncing a fork:

• Fetch the branches and their respective commits from the upstream repository. Commits to BRANCHNAME will be stored in the local branch upstream/BRANCHNAME.

  $ git fetch upstream
  > remote: Counting objects: 75, done.
  > remote: Compressing objects: 100% (53/53), done.
  > remote: Total 62 (delta 27), reused 44 (delta 9)
  > Unpacking objects: 100% (62/62), done.
  > From https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/ORIGINAL_REPOSITORY
  >  * [new branch]      main     -> upstream/main
  

• Check out your fork's local default branch - in this case, we use main.

  $ git checkout main
  > Switched to branch 'main'
  

• Merge the changes from the upstream default branch - in this case, upstream/main - into your local default branch. This brings your fork's default branch into sync with the upstream repository, without losing your local changes.

  $ git merge upstream/main
  > Updating a422352..5fdff0f
  > Fast-forward
  >  README                    |    9 -------
  >  README.md                 |    7 ++++++
  >  2 files changed, 7 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)
  >  delete mode 100644 README
  >  create mode 100644 README.md
  

Merging an upstream repository into your fork:

https://docs.github.com/en/github/collaborating-with-pull-requests/working-with-forks/merging-an-upstream-repository-into-your-fork

For more detail, see document https://docs.github.com/en/github/collaborating-with-pull-requests/working-with-forks