Fork vs clone
- Git course
- Intermediate
- Lesson 54/82
- 4 min
Learn the difference between fork and clone.
Fork vs Clone
A fork creates a new copy under your account on the remote hosting service. Clone downloads a repository from a remote server to your computer. They are different operations and are often used together in open-source contribution workflows.
Fork: Account copy on the server
Clone: Working copy on your computerUse Both Operations Together
In an open-source contribution workflow, you can first fork a project into your account and then clone your fork to your computer. This keeps the remote account copy separate from your local working directory.
1. Fork: copy to your account
2. Clone: download to your computer
3. Edit and create commitsPractice Clone a Fork Repository
Write the correct Git command to download the sample-app repository from the dev-user account to your computer.
Starter code
# Fork deposunu yerel bilgisayara indirExpected output
Cloning into 'sample-app'...
Questions and answers
Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.
1 What is the main difference between fork and clone?
- Clone automatically deletes the original repository.
- Fork copies to a computer, clone copies to an account.
- Both only change the commit message.
- Fork creates an account copy on the server, while clone downloads to a computer. Correct answer
Explanation: Fork creates a copy in your hosting account; clone downloads the repository to your local computer.
2 Download the Fork to Your Computer
git clone ____git clone https://github.com/dev-user/sample-app.gitExplanation: The git clone command is used to clone a repository. The repository URL follows the command.
3 Fork and Clone Comparison
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
Fork |
Creates a new repo in remote account |
Clone |
Downloads repo to a local computer |
Fork adresi |
Repository in user's own account |
Yerel kopya |
The working directory on the computer |