Skip to main content
HomeTutorialsGit

GIT Push and Pull Tutorial

Learn how to perform Git PUSH and PULL requests through GitHub Desktop and the Command-Line.
Updated Aug 8, 2024  · 13 min read

This tutorial guides you through the process of using Git commands to push and pull through both GitHub Desktop and the command line. This guide is practical for anyone managing code repositories.

You can easily follow along with all of the materials in the tutorial, even if you are a beginner. However, if you don't have any concept about Git, then have a look at Git Tutorial for Beginners: Command-Line Fundamentals and set up your environment by using GIT SETUP: The Definitive Guide.

As you follow along with the materials, even if you are a beginner, you may find it helpful to explore related topics such as Introduction to Data Engineering or Understanding Modern Data Architecture to better contextualize your learning.

Git PUSH

The git push command is used to transfer or push the commit, which is made on a local branch in your computer to a remote repository like GitHub. The command used for pushing to GitHub is given below.

git push 'remote_name' 'branch_name'

In this tutorial, you'll be looking two different ways to PUSH to GitHub.

Become a Data Engineer

Become a data engineer through advanced Python learning
Start Learning for Free

Using Command line to PUSH to GitHub

1. Creating a new repository

  • You need to create a new repository and click on the plus sign.
  • Fill up all the required details, i.e., repository name, description and also make the repository public this time as it is free.

Creating a new repository Creating a new repository 2

2. Open your Git Bash

  • Git Bash can be downloaded in here, and it is a shell used to interface with the operating system which follows the UNIX command.

3. Create your local project in your desktop directed towards a current working directory

  • pwd stands for 'print working directory', which is used to print the current directory.
  • Move to the specific path in your local computer by cd 'path_name'. The cd commands stand for 'change directory' and it is used to change to the working directory in your operating system, and to locate your file, 'path_name', i.e., C:/Users/Dell/Downloads/FaceDetect-master needs to be given. This command can identify the required file that you are looking to work with.

Create your local project in your desktop directed towards a current working directory.
4. Initialize the git repository

  • Use git init to initialize the repository. It is used to create a new empty repository or directory consisting of files' with the hidden directory. '.git' is created at the top level of your project, which places all of the revision information in one place.

Initialize the git repository

5. Add the file to the new local repository

  • Use git add . in your bash to add all the files to the given folder.
  • Use git status in your bash to view all the files which are going to be staged to the first commit.

Add the file to the new local repository.
6. Commit the files staged in your local repository by writing a commit message

  • You can create a commit message by git commit -m 'your message', which adds the change to the local repository.
  • git commit uses '-m' as a flag for a message to set the commits with the content where the full description is included, and a message is written in an imperative sentence up to 50 characters long and defining "what was changed", and "why was the change made".

Commit the files staged in your local repository by writing a commit message.
7. Copy your remote repository's URL from GitHub

  • The HTTPS or URL is copied from the given GitHub account, which is the place of the remote repository.

Copy your remote repository's URL from GitHub.

8. Add the URL copied, which is your remote repository to where your local content from your repository is pushed

  • git remote add origin 'your_url_name'
  • In the above code, The 'origin' is the remote name, and the remote URL is "https://github.com/Olivia-Smithcoder100/FaceDetection.git". You can see the remote as GitHub in this case, and GitHub provides the URL for adding to the remote repository.

9. Push the code in your local repository to GitHub

  • git push -u origin master is used for pushing local content to GitHub.
  • In the code, the origin is your default remote repository name and '-u' flag is upstream, which is equivalent to '-set-upstream.' and the master is the branch, name.upstream is the repository that we have cloned the project.
  • Fill in your GitHub username and password.

Push the code in your local repository to GitHub

10. View your files in your repository hosted on GitHub

  • You can finally see the file hosted on GitHub.

View your files in your repository hosted on GitHub.

Using GitHub Desktop to PUSH to your local content to GitHub.

GitHub Desktop is available to download for any operating system, and it gives the GUI(Graphical User Interface) platform to push your local content from your local repository to a remote repository like GitHub.

You need to open your GitHub account in your browser and the process of creating a new repository, i.e., step 1 is the same as mentioned above in "Using Command line to PUSH to GitHub".

1. Click "Set up in a Desktop"

  • You need to click on the button, as shown below where a pop up comes, and you click on "Open GitHub desktop".

Click "Set up in a Desktop" 1 Click "Set up in a Desktop" 2

2. Cloning in a GitHub Desktop

  • You can click the "Clone" button, as shown below.

Cloning in a GitHub Desktop 1 After cloning a new clone, the folder is created in your local computer where a hidden directory ".git" is also present. Cloning in a GitHub Desktop 2

3. Copy all the required files from your local computer into the clone folder on your computer

  • You need to copy all the required files, images, README files, etc., to the clone folder.

Copy all the required files from your local computer into the clone folder on your computer.

4. Move to GitHub Desktop and commit to master

  • You can see the files that are added into the clone folder are seen in GitHub Desktop too. Finally, write your message and push "Commit to master".

Move to GitHub Desktop and commit to master

5. Publish branch in GitHub Desktop to upload your all files to GitHub

  • You can click on "Publish Branch" to publish your all local content to GitHub.

Publish branch in GitHub Desktop to upload your all files to GitHub.
You can view your repository in GitHub after you have completed all steps.

You can view your repository in GitHub after you have completed all steps.

PULL Request

If you make a change in a repository, GIT PULL can allow others to view the changes. It is used to acknowledge the change that you've made to the repository that you're working on. Or also called a target repository.

The simple command to PULL from a branch is:

git pull 'remote_name' 'branch_name'.

The git pull command is a combination of git fetch which fetches the recent commits in the local repository and git merge, which will merge the branch from a remote to a local branch also 'remote_name' is the repository name and 'branch_name' is the name of the specific branch.

You"ll be looking at two different ways on how to use the PULL request.

PULL Request through Command Line

You can see the README files below which contains a typo. The README file has the word "contain" misspelled as "containnns". The owner of this repository is MNALO, and Olivia is the collaborator. She will solve the error and submit a PULL Request You'll see the process for making a PULL Request through a particular example given below.

PULL Request through Command Line. In the file above, you can see a typo in the word "containnns".

1. Fork the Repository

  • "The "Fork" is a copy of a repository. Forking a repository allows you to freely experiment with changes without affecting the original project."(Source)

1. Fork the Repository.

2. Open your bash in your computer

  • You need to move to the required path or folder by using the cd command, and the content can be viewed by using the ls command, which will list all of the present files in the directory and in our case you can see the 'README.md' is present.

Open your bash in your computer.

3. Make a new branch

  • You can create a new branch by using the git checkout -b 'branch_name'. In the above code, '-b' flag is used to create a new branch, and 'branch_name' is used to give the branch a specific name, and with checkout, the branch is switched to the newly created branch.

Make a new branch.

4. Make a change by using vim from bash or direct replacement from the original README file

    • You can change the word "containnns" to "contains" in the README file, and the changes with the current status can be viewed by using the following command.

Make a change by using vim from bash or direct replacement from the original README file.

5. Adding and Committing a file to the repository

      • You need to add and commit by the following commands.

Adding and Committing a file to the repository.

6. Push the repository to the GitHub

      • You need to push the content by git push origin 'branch_name'
      • In the above code, the origin is the remote repository, and 'branch_name' is the required branch that you need to upload your local content.

Push the repository to the GitHub.

7. PULL request for a specific branch on GitHub

      • You can move to your repository in GitHub and see that there is a new branch.
      • You can now move to step 8, but there is a need for a local repository update with the upstream repository, read this detailed blog on How To Create a Pull Request on GitHub
      • Alternatively, you can do git pull-request in the command line and complete the PULL Request to GitHub, where it will force push your current branch to a remote repository.

PULL request for a specific branch on GitHub.

8. Open a Pull request

    • You need to click the button on "Create pull request," to finish the action.

Open a Pull request

Deleting a Branch after the PULL Request is Merged

    • You need to move to the main page of the repository and click "Pull requests".

Deleting a Branch after the PULL Request is Merged.

      • You need to click 'Closed' to see the lists of all the PULL Requests that you've made, but there is only one at the moment which needs to be selected. It is the one related to your branch that you want to delete.

Deleting a Branch after the PULL Request is Merged. 2

        • You can now click 'Delete branch' to complete the action.

Deleting a Branch after the PULL Request is Merged. 3

          The owner of the repository can view all the commits, pull request, etc., made by collaborators and others. The changes made by someone can be significant, quick fixes for a bug, errors, etc., and are added to the project.

Deleting a Branch after the PULL Request is Merged. 4

          The owner now clicks "Merge pull request". Also, he/she will click "Confirm merge" through the following process.

Deleting a Branch after the PULL Request is Merged. 5

Deleting a Branch after the PULL Request is Merged. 6

          The last change made to the README.md file with a corrected typo is below.

Deleting a Branch after the PULL Request is Merged. 7

PULL Request through GitHub Desktop

The file "imp" contains a typo where MNALO is the owner and Olivia is collaborator follows the following process to create a PULL request from GitHub Desktop.

1. Cloning and Opening to Desktop

    • A project is cloned and click to "Open in Desktop".

PULL Request through GitHub Desktop

2. Create a new branch

    • A new branch, "fix-typo-imp" is created.

Create a new branch.

3. Make a change in the imp file from the text editor

    • You can change the content of the imp file, fix a typo, and add some text.

4. Commit the changes

    • A commit message written and "Commit to fix-typo-imp" is clicked.

Commit the changes.

5. Publish the branch

    • You can now publish the branch, which pushes the commit to GitHub.

Publish the branch

6. Create a PULL Request

    • You can now make a PULL request by clicking "Create pull request".
    • You can also now write a message and then click "Create pull request" again.

Create a PULL Request 1. Create a PULL Request 2.

The process afterward is the same as above in "PULL Request through Command Line".

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you have learned the PUSH and PULL request and also the different ways through which the PUSH and PULL request is done through the command line and GitHub Desktop Applications.

If you would like to learn more data science skills, take DataCamp's intro courses:

Get certified in your dream Data Engineer role

Our certification programs help you stand out and prove your skills are job-ready to potential employers.

Get Your Certification
Timeline mobile.png

FAQs

What is a Git push command?

The git push command is used to upload content from your local repository to a remote repository like GitHub. This is essential for sharing your changes with others or for syncing your local development with a public or shared repository.

How do I perform a Git pull request?

A Git pull request is not just a direct Git command but a feature provided by GitHub to notify project maintainers about changes you’ve pushed to a repository on GitHub. You initiate this by making changes in your fork of the repository, pushing these changes, and then submitting a pull request through GitHub’s web interface.

What is the difference between git pull and git fetch?

git pull does two things: it fetches changes from a remote branch and then immediately merges them into your current branch. git fetch, on the other hand, only fetches the changes from the remote repository but does not merge them, allowing you to review these changes before integrating them into your branch.

Can I delete a branch after merging a pull request?

Yes, after a pull request is merged, you can safely delete the branch as it has served its purpose. Deleting the branch helps keep the repository clean and manageable.

What are the prerequisites for using GitHub Desktop for Git operations?

To use GitHub Desktop, you need to download and install the application on your system, have a GitHub account, and ideally some familiarity with GitHub’s workflow. It is a user-friendly interface that simplifies many Git commands into clickable actions.

How do I resolve conflicts during a Git pull request?

Conflicts occur when changes in one branch overlap with changes in another where they can’t be automatically merged. To resolve these, you must manually edit the files to decide what the final content should be, update the changes, and then complete the merge process. Tools within GitHub and GitHub Desktop can help identify and resolve these conflicts.

Topics

Data Science Courses

Course

Introduction to Git

4 hr
40K
Familiarize yourself with Git for version control. Explore how to track, compare, modify, and revert files, as well as collaborate with colleagues using Git.
See DetailsRight Arrow
Start Course
See MoreRight Arrow
Related

tutorial

Git Rename Branch: How to Rename Local or Remote Branch

Learn how to rename local and remote Git branches using either the terminal or the graphical user interface (GUI) of popular clients like GitHub.
François Aubry's photo

François Aubry

5 min

tutorial

Git Install Tutorial

Learn about Git initial setup, Git LFS, and user-friendly Git GUI applications in this in-depth tutorial.
Abid Ali Awan's photo

Abid Ali Awan

9 min

tutorial

Git Switch Branch: A Guide With Practical Examples

Learn how to switch a branch in Git using git switch and understand the differences between git switch and git checkout.
François Aubry's photo

François Aubry

8 min

tutorial

GIT SETUP: The Definitive Guide

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to set up Git on your computer in different operating systems.

Olivia Smith

7 min

tutorial

GitHub and Git Tutorial for Beginners

A beginner's tutorial demonstrating how Git version control works and why it is crucial for data science projects.
Abid Ali Awan's photo

Abid Ali Awan

17 min

tutorial

Git Reset and Revert Tutorial for Beginners

Discover how to use Git reset and revert to manage your project history. Practice with detailed examples using soft, mixed, and hard resets. Learn the difference between Git reset and revert.
Zoumana Keita 's photo

Zoumana Keita

10 min

See MoreSee More