GitHub is a popular platform for hosting and collaborating on code repositories. One of the key features of GitHub is the ability to fork a repository, which creates a copy of the original repository under your own account. Forking allows you to work on a project independently, but what happens when the original repository is updated? In this tutorial, we will show you how to sync a forked repository on GitHub so that you can keep your copy up to date with the latest changes.
When you fork a repository on GitHub, you create a separate copy of the project that lives under your own account. This allows you to make changes to the code without affecting the original repository. However, if the original repository is updated, your forked copy will not automatically reflect those changes. To keep your fork synced with the original repository, you need to perform a series of steps.
To sync a forked repository, you will need to use Git, a distributed version control system. First, you will need to navigate to the local copy of your forked repository on your computer using a command line interface. Then, you will need to add the original repository as a remote upstream repository. Once you have added the remote upstream repository, you can fetch the latest changes from the original repository and merge them into your local copy. Finally, you will need to push the changes to your forked repository on GitHub to complete the synchronization process.
In conclusion, syncing a forked repository on GitHub is an important step to ensure that your copy of the project stays up to date with the latest changes. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you will be able to synchronize your forked repository with the original repository on GitHub and keep your copy in sync with the latest changes made by the project’s maintainers.
How to Sync a Forked Repository on GitHub
When you fork a repository on GitHub, you create a copy of the project in your own account. This allows you to make changes to the code without affecting the original repository. However, if the original repository is updated with new code, it’s important to sync your forked repository so that you have the latest changes. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
Step 1: Clone Your Forked Repository
Start by cloning your forked repository to your local machine. Open Git Bash or your preferred command line tool and navigate to the directory where you want to clone the repository. Then, use the following command:
git clone [forked_repository_url]Replace [forked_repository_url] with the URL of your forked repository, which you can find on the GitHub website.
Step 2: Add the Original Repository as a Remote
Next, navigate into the cloned repository directory using the cd command. Then, add the original repository as a remote using the following command:
git remote add upstream [original_repository_url]Replace [original_repository_url] with the URL of the original repository, which you can also find on the GitHub website.
Step 3: Fetch and Merge the Changes
Once you have added the original repository as a remote, you can fetch the latest changes using the following command:
git fetch upstreamThis command will retrieve the latest changes from the original repository. Next, merge these changes into your local forked repository using the following command:
git merge upstream/mainThis command will merge the changes from the upstream/main branch of the original repository into your current branch.
Step 4: Push the Changes to Your Forked Repository
After merging the changes, you need to push them to your forked repository on GitHub. Use the following command:
git push origin mainThis command will push the changes to the main branch of your forked repository.
Step 5: Verify the Sync
To verify that the sync was successful, go to your forked repository on the GitHub website. You should see the latest changes from the original repository reflected in your forked repository.
By following these steps, you can easily sync your forked repository on GitHub and keep it up to date with the original repository.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
git clone [forked_repository_url] |
Clones your forked repository to your local machine. |
git remote add upstream [original_repository_url] |
Adds the original repository as a remote. |
git fetch upstream |
Fetches the latest changes from the original repository. |
git merge upstream/main |
Merges the changes from the original repository into your local forked repository. |
git push origin main |
Pushes the changes to your forked repository on GitHub. |
Step 1: Clone the Forked Repository
To sync a forked repository with the original repository on GitHub, you first need to clone the forked repository to your local machine. Cloning a repository creates a local copy of the repository that you can work with.
Follow these steps to clone the forked repository:
| Step | Action |
| Step 1 | Navigate to the forked repository on GitHub. |
| Step 2 | Click on the “Code” button. |
| Step 3 | Copy the URL of the repository. |
| Step 4 | Open Git Bash or your preferred command line interface. |
| Step 5 | Navigate to the directory where you want to clone the repository. |
| Step 6 | Run the following command:git clone URL |
| Step 7 | Replace URL with the URL you copied in Step 3. |
| Step 8 | Press Enter to execute the command. |
| Step 9 | The forked repository will be cloned to your local machine. |
Once the forked repository is cloned, you can proceed to the next step to sync it with the original repository.
Step 2: Add the Original Repository as a Remote
After forking a repository on GitHub, the next step is to add the original repository as a remote to your local repository. This will allow you to sync any changes made to the original repository with your forked repository.
To add the original repository as a remote, you need to follow these steps:
- Open your terminal or command prompt.
- Navigate to the directory where your forked repository is located.
- Check the current remotes by running the command
git remote -v. - Add the original repository as a remote by running the command
git remote add upstream [original repository URL]. Replace[original repository URL]with the URL of the original repository. - Verify that the original repository is added as a remote by running the command
git remote -vagain. You should see both theoriginremote (your forked repository) and theupstreamremote (the original repository).
Once you have added the original repository as a remote, you can now proceed to syncing your forked repository with any changes made to the original repository. This will ensure that your local repository is always up to date.
Step 3: Fetch the Latest Changes from the Original Repository
To keep your forked repository up to date with the latest changes from the original repository, you’ll need to fetch those changes. Here’s how:
- Open your forked repository on GitHub.
- Click on the “Fetch upstream” button located at the top of the page, next to the “Clone or download” button.
- A pop-up window will appear, asking you to select the repository you want to fetch the changes from. Select the original repository.
- Click on the “Fetch” button to start fetching the latest changes.
- Once the fetching process is complete, you’ll see a message indicating that the latest changes have been successfully fetched.
Now that you have fetched the latest changes from the original repository, the next step is to merge those changes into your forked repository. This will ensure that your forked repository is in sync with the original repository.
Step 4: Merge the Changes to the Forked Repository
After fetching the changes from the original repository and checking out the branch, it’s time to merge the changes to your forked repository. To do this, follow the steps below:
- First, make sure you are on the branch that you want to merge the changes into. You can check the current branch by using the command
git branch. - Next, run the command
git merge upstream/branch_nameto merge the changes from the original repository’s branch. - If there are no conflicts, the changes will be merged successfully. You can use the command
git statusto check the status of the merge. - Finally, push the changes to your forked repository using the command
git push origin branch_name.
That’s it! The changes from the original repository have been successfully merged into your forked repository. You can now continue working on your forked repository or make a pull request to the original repository to contribute your changes.
