Skip to content

Understanding Git Pull vs Merge in Git Workflow

Introduction

Did you know git pull and git merge are quite similar commands ?

When it comes to managing branches in Git, understanding the nuances between git pull and git merge can significantly impact your workflow's efficiency.

Both commands, git pull and git merge, serve the purpose of integrating changes from a remote branch (dev) into your local branch. However, they employ different strategies to achieve this.

In this exploration, we'll delve into the differences between git pull origin dev and git merge origin/dev, unraveling their distinct approaches and highlighting the practical implications of their usage. Understanding these differences will empower you to make informed decisions while managing your Git branches effectively.

Let's dive into the nuances of git pull and git merge to optimize your Git workflow and ensure seamless collaboration across teams.

Git Pull vs Merge

git checkout master && git merge dev

  1. git checkout master: Switches to the local master branch.
  2. git merge dev: Attempts to merge the local dev into the local master.

git checkout master && git merge origin/dev

  1. git checkout master: Switches to the local master branch.
  2. git merge origin/dev: Attempts to merge the remote dev into the local master.

git checkout master && git pull origin dev

  1. git checkout master: Switches to the local master branch.
  2. git pull origin dev:
    • Fetches changes from the remote dev to the local dev like git fetch origin dev.
    • Attempts to merge the remote dev into the local master like git merge origin/dev.

Understanding the Differences

Technically, git pull origin dev and git merge origin/dev both aim to integrate changes from a remote branch (dev) into your current local branch.

However, they differ in approach:

  • Combines git fetch (retrieve changes from the remote repository) and git merge (integrate changes into your local branch) in one step.
  • Fetches changes from the remote dev branch and immediately merges them into your current local branch.
  • Directly attempts to merge changes from the remote dev branch into your current local branch without explicitly fetching changes separately.
  • Assumes you already have the remote branch's changes available in your local repository.

Practical Considerations

  • git pull is often preferred for its convenience and safety in ensuring your local branch is up-to-date with the remote before merging.
  • git merge requires manually fetching changes beforehand.
  • If unsure about the status of your local branch compared to the remote or if there might be new changes on the remote branch, git pull origin dev is a safer option.
  • It fetches and merges changes in a single step, reducing chances of conflicts due to outdated local information.

Conclusion

  • git pull is essentially a git fetch followed by a git merge in one step, useful for updating your local branch with changes from a remote branch.
  • git pull origin dev is equivalent to git fetch origin dev + git merge origin/dev.
  • Using git pull can be more concise and convenient, but separating actions (fetch and merge) provides explicit control over each step, allowing review of changes fetched from the remote branch before merging into the local branch.