How do remote repositories work? – Git · IT Interview Practice

How do remote repositories work?

Remote repositories are versions of your repository hosted elsewhere (like on GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket) — they enable collaboration and serve as a shared, central copy. You synchronize with them using push, pull, and fetch.

What a remote is

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A REMOTE is a repository hosted elsewhere (a server/service) that you sync with:
  → "origin" is the conventional name for the main remote (where you cloned from)
  → enables COLLABORATION — a shared copy everyone pushes to / pulls from
  → GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket are hosting services for remote repositories

bash

git clone <url>                # copy a remote repo (sets up "origin" automatically)
git remote -v                  # list remotes and their URLs
git remote add origin <url>    # add a remote to an existing local repo

bash

git push origin main           # upload your commits to the remote's main branch
git push -u origin feature-x   # push and set upstream tracking (first time)

git fetch origin               # DOWNLOAD remote changes (but don't merge yet)
git pull origin main           # fetch AND merge remote changes into your branch
# → pull = fetch + merge

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PUSH  → send YOUR commits to the remote (share your work)
FETCH → download the remote's changes WITHOUT merging (inspect first)
PULL  → fetch + merge (get others' changes into your branch in one step)

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→ Local branches can TRACK remote branches (e.g. local main tracks origin/main)
→ git status then shows "ahead"/"behind" (your unpushed commits / unpulled remote commits)
→ origin/main is a "remote-tracking branch" — your local record of the remote's state

How do remote repositories work?

What a remote is

Connecting to remotes

Synchronizing: push, fetch, pull

Tracking branches

Why it matters