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git clone

The git clone command is used to create a copy of a Git repository from a remote server (e.g., GitHub, GitLab) to your local machine. This includes all branches, commits, and files.

Syntax​

git clone <repository-url> [<directory>]
  • <repository-url>: The URL of the remote repository you want to clone.
  • <directory> (optional): The name of the directory where the repository will be cloned. If not specified, Git uses the repository's name by default.

Example​

To clone a repository from GitHub:

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

This will create a folder named repository containing the cloned repository.

To clone into a specific directory:

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

This will clone the repository into a folder named my-folder.

Common Use Cases​

  • Downloading the source code of a project to contribute or study.
  • Setting up a local copy of a remote repository for development.
  • Starting work on a project shared by a team.