how to update locally cloned git repo with changes from the original project (no fork!)

Question

I am a bit new to git so I may misuse git terminology in the following... Searching for a an answer I only found cases, where a fork (that is: another repo on github or similiar) was created - which I don't want (yet). Or it least: This is the way I think I understood it....

What I want is: To clone a github repo of a project located on github onto my harddisk (already done). Makeing changes to that cloned repo and don't put those online (because they are highly experimental in this moment). And I want to be able to update my cloned repo with changes made to the mother/father original repo on github without overwriting my changes (by risking conflicts from time to time...).

Is this possible and how can I accomplish this?

Answer 1

There is no significant difference if you use a fork (different remote ) or the original repository ( origin ) while synchronizing the remote changes to your local branch. What you are trying to achieve is a common git workflow routine and you can get it either by git pull command or git pull --rebase . The final outcome will be the same from your perspective - you will keep your local changes (commits) and you will be up-to-date with the remote changes at the same time. However, the history log can be slightly different. See the question if you want to dive into the details.