Clone, and tracking branches

Figure 3 shows a mill that makes copies. The high row is the server. The low row is your clone. The mill is git clone.

What clone copies

git clone copies the whole history. A clone is not only the files of the last commit. A clone holds every commit of the project.

Your clone is a full repository. You can make commits in your clone with no network connection.

The two names that clone adds

A clone adds the name origin. origin is a short name for the server.

A clone also adds origin/main. origin/main is a bookmark of where the server was at the time of the clone.

You have your own main as well. main is your branch. origin/main is the last position of the server that you saw.

The two arms

The board holds two arms. The main arm is the position of your branch. The origin/main arm is the position of the server that you last saw.

The two arms start at the same place after a clone. The arms move apart when you commit. A commit moves your main arm only.

git fetch and git push move the origin/main arm.

The important rule

origin/main is not the true position of the server. origin/main is the position of the server when you last spoke to it.

Use the figure

1. Click the figure, or press the c key, to clone the row.
2. The mill stamps each commit onto your bench.
3. The two arms sit at the same commit after the clone.