Fork or Clone? How to Stop Screwing It Up and Get It Right the First Time

Development & Code
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:fork_and_knife: Forking vs Cloning: What’s the Difference and When to Use Each

Avoid the rookie mistake — know when to fork and when to clone
:shuffle_tracks_button::fork_and_knife::file_folder::brain:

:warning: Note:
This guide is written for solo developers working independently with Git.
If you’re working in a team or contributing to shared repositories, some practices may differ.
A follow-up guide on team workflows, conflict handling, and collaboration best practices is coming soon.

Most beginners confuse forking and cloning — or think they’re interchangeable. They’re not. Understanding the difference is key to contributing to open source projects and managing your own.

:dna: What’s a Clone?

Cloning is making a local copy of a Git repo:

“I want a working copy of this project on my computer.”

  • It pulls the entire history (commits, branches, tags)
  • It’s connected to the original repo’s remote (usually called origin)
  • You can push/pull changes if you have permission

Use it when:

  • You own the repo
  • You’re working inside a team with push access
  • You’re contributing to a private/internal project

:fork_and_knife: What’s a Fork?

Forking is making your own copy of someone else’s repo — on GitHub:

“I want my own version of this project so I can edit it freely.”

  • Forks live on GitHub under your account
  • You can clone your fork to your machine
  • You’ll later make a pull request back to the original

Use it when:

  • You don’t have write access to the original repo
  • You want to propose a fix or feature
  • You want to experiment without touching the main project

:hammer_and_wrench: Fork + Clone = Collaboration Workflow

If you’re contributing to an open source project:

  1. Fork the repo on GitHub
  2. Clone your fork locally
  3. Make your changes in a branch
  4. Push changes to your fork
  5. Open a pull request back to the original repo

:thinking: Why Does It Matter?

Beginners often clone a public repo, make changes, then wonder why they “can’t push.”
That’s because you’re not a contributor — and cloning doesn’t grant you write access.

Forking is your way around that. It gives you your own space to work, without breaking the original.

:warning: Common Pitfalls

  • Cloning when you should fork: leads to permission issues
  • Forking then never syncing with the original: your copy becomes stale
  • Forgetting where your remotes point: always double-check git remote -v

:white_check_mark: Best Practices

  • Clone if you’re on the core team
  • Fork if you’re contributing to someone else’s project
  • Always create a new branch before making changes
  • Name your remotes clearly: use origin for your fork, and upstream for the original

:brain: TL;DR

  • Clone = local copy of a repo you have access to
  • Fork = your own GitHub copy of someone else’s repo
  • Use forks for open source contributions, then submit pull requests
  • Keep remotes clear and stay in sync

:file_folder: That’s a Wrap:

This wraps up our GitHub beginner workflow series — unless you’ve got a topic you want us to tackle next. Let us know!