Get started with Git
You can use Git from a command line to interact with GitLab.
Common terms
If you’re new to Git, start by reviewing some of the most commonly used terms.
Repository
Files are stored in a repository. A repository is similar to how you store files in a folder or directory on your computer.
- A remote repository refers to the files in GitLab.
- A local copy refers to the files on your computer.
The word repository is often shortened to repo.
In GitLab, a repository is part of a project.
Get started:
Clone
To create a copy of a remote repository’s files on your computer, you clone it. When you clone a repository, you can sync the repository with the remote repository in GitLab. You can modify the files locally and upload the changes to the remote repository on GitLab.
Get started:
Pull
When the remote repository changes, your local copy is behind. You can update your local copy with the new
changes in the remote repository.
This action is known as pulling from the remote, because you use the command git pull.
Get started:
Push
After you save a local copy of a repository and modify the files on your computer, you can upload the
changes to GitLab. This action is known as pushing to the remote, because you use the command
git push.
Get started:
Fork
When you want to contribute to someone else’s repository, you make a copy of it. This copy is called a fork.
When you create a fork of a repository, you create a copy of the project in your own namespace in the remote repository. You then have write permissions to modify the project files and settings.
For example, you can fork this project in to your namespace:
You now have your own copy of the repository. You can view the namespace in the URL, for example:
https://gitlab.com/your-namespace/sample-project/
Then you can clone the repository to your local machine, work on the files, and submit changes back to the original repository.
Get started