How to fork a repo in cmd

June 4, 2020

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When working with code repositories, forking can be a useful technique for creating a copy of a repository in your own GitHub account. Forking gives you the freedom to experiment, make changes, and contribute to a project without affecting the original repository. In this tutorial, we will learn how to fork a repository using the command line. Using cmd allows for a streamlined and efficient way to manage and navigate through folders and files.

Step 1: Install Git

Before you start forking repositories, ensure that Git is installed on your computer. Git is a widely used version control system that allows you to track changes and collaborate with others. You can download Git from the official website and follow the installation instructions.

Step 2: Clone the Repository

Once you have Git installed, open the cmd and navigate to the folder where you want to clone the repository. Clone the repository by entering the following command:

git clone repository-url

Replace “repository-url” with the URL of the repository you want to fork. This command will create a local copy of the repository on your computer.

Step 3: Fork the Repository

Next, navigate to the GitHub website and log in to your account. Open the repository you want to fork and click on the “Fork” button in the top right corner. This will create a copy of the repository in your account.

Step 4: Configure the Remote

Go back to the cmd and navigate to the folder where you cloned the repository. Now, configure the remote repository by entering the following command:

git remote add upstream original-repository-url

Replace “original-repository-url” with the URL of the original repository you forked. This command allows you to sync your fork with the original repository, keeping it up to date with any changes.

Step 5: Sync your Fork

Finally, you can sync your forked repository with the original repository by entering the following command:

git pull upstream master

This command will fetch any changes made in the original repository and merge them with your local repository.

Now you know how to fork a repository using cmd! Forking repositories is a powerful way to collaborate and contribute to open-source projects. You can make changes, experiment, and create pull requests to propose your changes to the original repository. Happy forking!

Step-by-step guide to forking a repo in cmd

Forking a repository allows you to create a copy of a project on your own GitHub account. This can be useful if you want to contribute to a project, experiment with changes, or use it as a starting point for your own project. In this guide, we will walk through the steps of forking a repo using the command prompt (cmd).

Step 1: Navigate to the repo

Open the command prompt by typing “cmd” in the Windows search bar and selecting the Command Prompt app. Change to the desired directory where you want to clone the repo by using the cd command. For example, if you want to clone it in the Documents folder, use the command:

cd C:UsersYourUsernameDocuments

Step 2: Fork the repo

Open GitHub in a web browser and navigate to the repository you want to fork. Click the “Fork” button in the top-right corner of the repository page. This will create a copy of the repo under your own GitHub account.

Step 3: Clone the forked repo

Go back to the command prompt and use the git clone command to clone the forked repo to your local machine. The command should be in the following format:

git clone https://github.com/YourUsername/repo.git

Replace “YourUsername” with your GitHub username and “repo” with the name of the forked repository.

Step 4: Configure upstream

In order to keep your forked repo up-to-date with the original repository, you need to configure an upstream remote. Change to the cloned repo’s directory using the cd command and execute the following command:

git remote add upstream https://github.com/OriginalUsername/repo.git

Replace “OriginalUsername” with the username of the original repository.

Step 5: Verify the remote

Confirm that the upstream remote has been added successfully by running the following command:

git remote -v

You should see both the origin remote URL (your forked repo) and the upstream remote URL (the original repository).

Step 6: Sync the forked repo

To sync your forked repo with the original repository, run the following command:

git fetch upstream

This command fetches the latest changes from the upstream repository.

Step 7: Merge the changes

After fetching the latest changes, you can merge them into your forked repo by running the following command:

git merge upstream/master

This command merges the changes from the upstream master branch into your local master branch.

Step 8: Push the changes

Finally, push the merged changes to your forked repo on GitHub using the git push command:

git push origin master

The changes will now be reflected on your forked repo on GitHub.

By following these steps, you can easily fork a repo in cmd, clone it to your local machine, and keep it up-to-date with the original repository.

Command	Description
cd	Change directory
git clone	Clone a repository
git remote add	Add a remote repository
git remote -v	List configured remotes
git fetch	Fetch the latest changes from a remote repository
git merge	Merge changes from one branch into another
git push	Push local changes to a remote repository

Install Git

In order to fork a repo using the command line, you need to have Git installed on your computer. Git is a version control system that allows you to manage and track changes to your code. Here’s how you can install Git:

Go to the official Git website: https://git-scm.com/downloads
Download the Git installer for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux) by clicking on the corresponding download button.
Once the installer is downloaded, run the executable file and follow the installation wizard.
During the installation process, you can choose the components and features you want to install. The default options should be sufficient for most users.
Choose the directory where you want to install Git. The default directory is usually fine unless you have a specific preference.
On the “Adjusting your PATH environment” screen, select the recommended option “Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software”. This will ensure that Git commands can be executed from the command line.
Choose the line ending conversion option. The default “Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings” should work for most users.
Choose the terminal emulator to use with Git. The default option “Use Git Bash only” provides a command-line interface similar to Unix/Linux shells.
Choose the default branch name for new repositories. The typical value is “main”.
Choose the SSH executable to use with Git. The default option “Use OpenSSH” should work for most users.
Choose the HTTPS transport backend to use with Git. The default option “Use the OpenSSL library” should work for most users.
Choose the credentials manager to use with Git. The default option “Use the Git Credential Manager Core (recommended)” should work for most users.
Click “Install” to start the installation process.
Once the installation is complete, you can verify that Git is installed correctly by opening a command prompt or terminal window and typing the command git --version. This should display the installed version of Git.

Create a GitHub account

To fork a repo in cmd, you need to have a GitHub account. If you already have an account, you can skip this step. If you don’t have an account, follow these steps to create one:

Go to the GitHub homepage.
Click on the “Sign up” button.
Fill out the required information, including your username, email address, and password.
Click on the “Create account” button.
Verify your email address by clicking on the link sent to your inbox.
Congratulations! You now have a GitHub account.

Having a GitHub account is necessary to fork repositories and collaborate with other developers. Make sure to keep your account login details safe and secure.

Find the repo you want to fork

To fork a repository using the command line, you first need to find the repository you want to fork on GitHub. Navigate to the repository’s page using your preferred web browser.

Once you are on the repository’s page, look for the “Fork” button at the top right corner of the page. Click on it to begin the forking process.

Note: You need to have a GitHub account and be logged in to fork a repository. If you don’t have an account, you will need to create one before continuing.

Searching for a specific repository

If you already know the name of the repository you want to fork, you can use the GitHub search bar located at the top of any GitHub page. Simply type in the name of the repository and press Enter to search.

For example, if you are looking to fork the repository called “awesome-project”, you would type “awesome-project” in the search bar and press Enter.

Browsing through trending repositories

If you are not looking for a specific repository and are open to exploring different projects, you can check out the GitHub Explore section. You can access this section by clicking on the “Explore” tab located on the GitHub homepage.

Within the Explore section, you will find various trending repositories organized by different categories such as programming languages, frameworks, or technology domains. Browse through the repositories and look for one that catches your interest.

For example, you can browse through the “Trending repositories” category to see what projects the community is currently excited about.

Fork the repo using cmd

When using the command line, you can easily fork a repository by following these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the directory where you want to clone the repository.
2	Open the command prompt or terminal in that directory.
3	Use the `git clone` command to clone the repository. You can find the repository URL on the GitHub page of the repository you want to fork.
4	Navigate into the cloned repository directory using the `cd` command.
5	Run the `git remote -v` command to view the current remotes.
6	Add a new remote to fork the repository using the `git remote add` command followed by the desired name for the remote and the URL of the repository you want to fork.
7	Verify that the new remote has been added by running the `git remote -v` command again.
8	You have successfully forked the repository using the command line.