GitHub is a widely used version control system that lets users keep multiple lines of development for a team project. These development lines are known as branches. This platform enables its users to fetch a recent branch version from the Git remote repository, or they can retrieve the most recent version of all remote branches at once. This can be done by utilizing the “$ git pull –all” command.
In this article, we’ll talk about how to pull all branches in GitHub. Let’s say you have to work on team projects and you need to add some data, but not in the main working branch. To do this, you need to make a new branch and add data to it.
Table of Content
Things You Should Know About GitHub Branches
- Using branches, you can safely experiment with new ideas, develop features, or fix bugs in a specific area of your repository.
- A branch is always made from an existing branch. Normally, you could build a new branch off of the repository’s default branch.
- Then, you can work on this new branch independently of other people’s repository modifications. A feature branch or topic branch is the common name for a branch that you create to build a feature.
How to Pull All Branches in GitHub
Branches can be stored locally or in a different place. If you work on a GitHub local repository, a branch will be called a “local branch.” With Git commands, you can get all of the metadata for remote branches and also pull all of the remote branches.
Now, follow the instructions below to find out how to pull all branches in Git.
1. Move to GitHub Directory
First, you need to open the Git directory. Use the “cd” command:
$ cd “C:\Users\nazma\Git\Demo1”
2. Copy the Remote Git Repo URL
Next, open the remote repository and click on the “Code” button. Then, copy its HTTP URL to the clipboard.
3. Clone the Remote Git Repo
After that, you can execute the copied URL using “git clone” to clone the selected Git repository. Use the command below:
$ git clone https://github.com/GitUser0422/Linux-repo.git
The output of successful cloned “Linux-repo” should be displayed as in the image below. It has also connected to your local Git repository.
4. Fetch All Remote Branches Data
Now you can start to fetch all metadata of remote branches to enable tracking on all of them. Use the following command:
$ git fetch --all
“–all” is used to fetch all metadata of the branches.
5. List Remote Branches
After fetching all metadata branches, you can display all remote branches by using the “git branch” command as follows:
$ git branch -r
The “-r” indicates remote branches which will display all branches in your repository. The image below displays three branches.
6. Pull All Branches
The final step is to pull all branches on the Git remote repository. Use the “git pull” command with “–all” to get all branches, as shown on the following command:
$ git pull --all
If you have successfully pulled all branches, it should be displayed as in the image below.
(image required)
That’s it! That’s the easiest way to pull all branches in GitHub!
Tips
In Git, you must first go to the directory you want to pull from, access the remote repository, and copy its HTTP URL. The next step is to clone the remote repository into the local Git repository. Then, to retrieve all of the metadata of branches, run “$ git fetch” with the “-all” option. In the end, you must pull from all branches using the “$ git pull -all” command.
