Git - Upstream Branch (Tracking branch)

Get

With Git - rev-parse

git rev-parse --abbrev-ref branch@{u}

Example for the current local branch:

echo $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref "@{u}")

origin/main

Tip: you can also build it from the config info:

remote="$(git config "branch.${branch}.remote")"
remote_branch="$(git config "branch.${branch}.merge" | cut -d/ -f3-)"
echo "$remote/$remote_branch";

List

git branch -vv

• Output: the upstream remote branch is between []

* main 876e695 [origin/master: gone] Error in travis.yml

Set / Update

You update/set an upstream with the branch command

git branch -u origin/branchName
# or
git branch --set-upstream-to origin/branchName

Branch branchName set up to track remote branch branchName from origin.

You can also set it with a push

git push -u origin master
git push --set-upstream origin master

Add

Add the upstream of your fork as remote

git remote add upstream https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/ORIGINAL_REPOSITORY.git

Control.

git remote -v

origin  https://github.com/gerardnico/forked (fetch)
origin  https://github.com/gerardnico/forked (push)
upstream        https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/ORIGINAL_REPOSITORY (fetch)
upstream        https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/ORIGINAL_REPOSITORY (push)

You got the origin and the upstream (the forked repo)

Fetch (Sync)

• Git - Fetch (Remote Repository Sync) a remote

git fetch remoteName

Output example

remote: Enumerating objects: 56, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (56/56), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.
Receiving objects:  73% (134/183)sed 54 (delta 53), pack-reused 127 eceiving objects:  67% (123/183)
Receiving objects: 100% (183/183), 40.48 KiB | 1010.00 KiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (103/103), completed with 23 local objects.
From https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/ORIGINAL_REPOSITORY
 * [new branch]      master     -> upstream/master
 * [new tag]         2018-04-30 -> 2018-04-30

Merge

• merge command

# Go to the main branch (default)
git checkout main
# merge the upstream main branch in the checked out branch
git merge upstream/main
git merge upstream/master
# Shorthand
git merge @{u}

fatal: no upstream configured for branch 'master'

Example on the master branch

git branch --set-upstream-to origin/master