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Git Clone

Instead of starting a new project from scratch, you can use Git to clone an existing repository — copying all its files, branches, and history to your local machine.

This is one of the most common ways to start working on a project that’s hosted on GitHub or another remote platform.

What does Git clone do​

Actions of the git clone command are as follows:

  • Creates a local copy of a remote repository.

  • Automatically sets up the connection to the remote (origin).

  • Downloads all branches and commit history.

Example​

git clone repository-url

Clone Your First Repository​

  1. Open a terminal or command prompt.

  2. Navigate to the folder where you want to download the repo:

cd projects  # or any other directory
  1. Run the clone command:
git clone https://github.com/Tom-Fynes/git-101
  1. You should see output like:
Cloning into 'git-101'...
remote: Enumerating objects: ...
remote: Counting objects: ...
Receiving objects: ...
Resolving deltas: ...
  1. Now check your files:
    • Change directory to newly cloned repo
cd git-101
  • List all files and folders in directoy
    dir