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Clone a Repository

Cloning creates a local copy of a remote repository on your machine, including the full commit history.

Basic Usage​

git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git

This creates a folder named repository in your current directory.

Clone into a Specific Folder​

git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git my-folder

Clone a Specific Branch​

git clone -b develop https://github.com/username/repository.git

Clone via SSH​

SSH is preferred for regular development since it avoids entering credentials on every push/pull.

git clone git@github.com:username/repository.git

To use SSH cloning, you need to add your public SSH key to your GitHub/GitLab account first.

What Happens After Cloning​

After cloning, Git automatically:

  • Sets origin as the name for the remote URL
  • Checks out the default branch (usually main)

You can verify this with:

git remote -v
origin  https://github.com/username/repository.git (fetch)
origin  https://github.com/username/repository.git (push)