Git Tutorial – Part 4: Working with Remote Repositories (Push, Pull, and Fetch)

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

• Understand local and remote repositories.
• Push local commits to your self-hosted GitLab server.
• Pull the latest changes from GitLab.
• Fetch changes without merging.
• Understand synchronization between local and remote repositories.
• Resolve common push conflicts.

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Understanding Local and Remote Repositories

When you create a commit, it is stored only on your local computer.

To share your changes with your team, you must push the commits to the remote repository hosted on your organization’s GitLab server.

Working Directory
        │
        ▼
Staging Area
        │
        ▼
Local Repository
        │
 git push
        ▼
Remote Repository (GitLab)

Similarly, when other developers push their changes, you must pull them to update your local repository.

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Step 1: Check the Current Status

Before pushing changes, verify your repository status.

git status

Example output:

On branch main

nothing to commit, working tree clean

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Step 2: View the Configured Remote Repository

To see the remote repository connected to your local repository:

git remote -v

Example output:

origin  https://gitlab.yourcompany.com/training/gittutorial.git (fetch)
origin  https://gitlab.yourcompany.com/training/gittutorial.git (push)

What is origin?

origin is the default name Git assigns to the remote repository when you clone a project.

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Step 3: Push Your Changes

Push your local commits to GitLab.

git push origin main

Example output:

Enumerating objects: 5

Counting objects: 100%

Writing objects: 100%

To https://gitlab.yourcompany.com/training/gittutorial.git

abc1234..def5678 main -> main

Your commits are now available on the GitLab server.

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Step 4: Verify the Changes in GitLab

1. Open your web browser.
2. Navigate to your GitLab project.
3. Refresh the page.
4. Verify that:
   • The new files are visible.
   • The latest commit appears in the commit history.
   • The repository has been updated.

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Step 5: Simulate Another Developer’s Change

Suppose another developer updates the repository and pushes new commits.

Your local repository is now behind the remote repository.

Run:

git status

You may see:

Your branch is behind 'origin/main' by 1 commit.

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Step 6: Pull the Latest Changes

Download and merge the latest changes from GitLab.

git pull origin main

Example output:

Updating abc1234..def5678

Fast-forward

README.md

1 file changed

Your local repository is now synchronized with the remote repository.

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Understanding git pull

git pull performs two operations:

1. Downloads the latest changes from the remote repository.
2. Automatically merges those changes into your current branch.

In simple terms:

git pull
=
git fetch
+
git merge

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Step 7: Fetch Without Merging

Sometimes you want to download updates without immediately merging them.

Use:

git fetch origin

This downloads new commits but does not change your working files.

To view the downloaded commits:

git log origin/main --oneline

You can compare your branch with the remote branch before deciding to merge.

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Step 8: Understanding Synchronization

The following diagram illustrates how synchronization works:

Developer A
      │
      ▼
Git Push
      │
      ▼
GitLab Server
      ▲
      │
Git Pull
      │
      ▼
Developer B

All team members synchronize through the GitLab server.

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Step 9: Common Push Error

Suppose another developer pushes changes before you.

When you attempt to push, Git may display:

! [rejected] main -> main (non-fast-forward)

error: failed to push some refs

This happens because your local repository is not up to date.

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Step 10: Resolve the Push Conflict

First, download the latest changes:

git pull origin main

If Git merges successfully:

git push origin main

If there are merge conflicts, Git will ask you to resolve them before pushing.

Merge conflicts are covered in a later chapter.

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Step 11: Verify the Commit History

Display the commit history:

git log --oneline

Example:

7d82ab3 Update README

3d5f872 Add notes

1c8a452 Initial commit

This confirms that your repository contains the latest commits.

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Frequently Used Remote Commands

Command	Description
git remote -v	Displays configured remote repositories.
git push origin main	Uploads commits to GitLab.
git pull origin main	Downloads and merges changes from GitLab.
git fetch origin	Downloads changes without merging.
git log --oneline	Displays a concise commit history.

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Best Practices

• Always run git pull before starting new work.
• Commit your work frequently with meaningful commit messages.
• Push your completed work regularly.
• Review incoming changes before making major updates.
• Keep your local repository synchronized with the remote repository.

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Summary

In this chapter, you learned how to:

• Understand the relationship between local and remote repositories.
• Push commits to your self-hosted GitLab server.
• Pull the latest changes from GitLab.
• Use git fetch to download changes without merging.
• Resolve common push rejection errors.
• Keep your local repository synchronized with the remote repository.

You can now confidently exchange changes between your Windows 11 computer and your organization’s GitLab server.

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Next Tutorial

The next chapter will cover one of the most important Git concepts:

• Understanding branches
• Creating and switching branches
• Listing branches
• Renaming and deleting branches
• Merging branches
• Branching strategies used in software development
• Working safely without affecting the main branch

Click Here to view the Next tutorial.

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Tutorial Index:

• Part 1: Git Installation and Setup Guide
• Part 2: Understanding Git and Connecting to Your Self-Hosted GitLab
• Part 3: Git Workflow – Creating, Staging, and Committing Changes
• Part 4: Working with Remote Repositories (Push, Pull, and Fetch)
• Part 5: Working with Git Branches
• Part 6: Understanding and Resolving Merge Conflicts