Git Push vs Pull: What's the Difference?

git push sends your local commits to a remote repository. git pull brings remote commits into your current local branch. They move Git history in opposite directions, but pull also integrates what it downloads, which is where the comparison gets interesting.

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Git Push vs Pull

Both commands work with a Git remote, usually one named origin.

What Does git push Do?

The git push command pushes (sends) local changes to any remote. To push your local main branch's commits to the remote origin's main branch, run:

git push origin main

You need to be authenticated with the remote to push changes. You can also push a local branch to a remote with a different name:

git push origin local_branch:remote_branch

It's less common to do this, but nice to know. If this is a branch's first push, git push -u can save its upstream so later commands can omit origin and the branch name.

To delete a remote branch, use the --delete flag:

git push origin --delete remote_branch

What Does git pull Do?

Fetching is nice, but most of the time we want the actual file changes from a remote repo, not just the metadata. Run:

git pull origin main

git pull fetches updates from origin/main and then integrates them into your current branch. The integration can be a merge or a rebase, depending on your arguments and configuration.

If your current branch has an upstream, the remote and branch are optional:

git pull

Pull Is Fetch Plus Integration

git fetch downloads commits and updates remote-tracking refs, but it doesn't merge anything into your current branch. That's why it's safe to run often. You get new information without touching your working files.

git pull follows that fetch with a merge or rebase. If you want explicit control when things get weird, use two commands:

git fetch origin
git merge origin/main

You can use git rebase instead of merge if you prefer a linear history.

If you prefer rebase (as I do), then set this config globally:

git config --global pull.rebase true

All your future pulls will integrate changes with a rebase operation by default.

How Do You Merge a Remote Branch Into Local main?

Once you've fetched:

git switch main
git merge origin/main

If your local main has no extra commits, this is often a fast-forward merge.

That means Git just moves your local branch pointer forward, no extra merge commit needed.

After that, plain git log on local main should match the history you saw in origin/main.

A Practical Push and Pull Workflow

When I'm working by myself, I usually stick to a single branch, main:

1. Make changes to files.
2. git add . (or git add <files> if I only want to add specific files).
3. git commit -m "a message describing the changes".
4. git push origin main.

On a team, pull the latest accepted work before starting a feature branch, then push that branch and open a pull request. Git and GitHub covers that workflow in detail.