`git fetch` and `git pull` are both commands used to update your local repository with updates from a remote repository, but they operate differently. - `git fetch` only downloads new data from a remote repository - but it doesn't integrate any of this new data into your working files. Fetch is great for getting a fresh view on all the things that happened in a remote repository. - `git pull`, in contrast, is used with a different intent. This command is used to bring your repository up to date with the latest from the remote repository. It is equivalent to `git fetch` followed by `git merge`. In other words, `git pull` does a `git fetch` followed by a `git merge`. When in doubt, simply do a `git fetch` to see what's changed. Then if you agree with those changes, you can do a `git merge` (or `git pull` to do both at same time).