Git Mastery Guide

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Git Clone ​

git clone creates a copy of a remote repository on your local machine. It's typically the first command you use when starting work on an existing project.

Basic Clone ​

Clone a Repository ​

bash
git clone <repository-url>

Example:

bash
# Clone via HTTPS
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone via SSH
git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git

This creates a directory named repo with the repository contents.

Clone into Specific Directory ​

bash
git clone <repository-url> <directory-name>

Example:

bash
# Clone into custom directory
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git my-project

# Clone into current directory
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git .

Clone Options ​

Shallow Clone ​

Clone only recent history (faster, smaller):

bash
# Clone only last commit
git clone --depth 1 <url>

# Clone last 10 commits
git clone --depth 10 <url>

Use cases:

  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Quick downloads
  • Saving disk space
  • Large repositories

Example:

bash
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/torvalds/linux.git
Cloning into 'linux'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 79322, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (79322/79322), done.

Clone Specific Branch ​

bash
# Clone only specific branch
git clone --branch <branch-name> <url>

# Shorthand
git clone -b <branch-name> <url>

Example:

bash
# Clone develop branch
git clone -b develop https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone and create new directory
git clone -b feature-login https://github.com/user/repo.git my-feature

Clone Single Branch ​

Clone only one branch (no other branch information):

bash
git clone --single-branch --branch <branch-name> <url>

Example:

bash
# Clone only main branch
git clone --single-branch -b main https://github.com/user/repo.git

Shallow Clone of Specific Branch ​

bash
# Combine shallow and single branch
git clone --depth 1 --single-branch --branch develop <url>

Advanced Clone Options ​

Clone with Submodules ​

bash
# Clone repository and its submodules
git clone --recurse-submodules <url>

# Alternative
git clone --recursive <url>

If you forgot to clone with submodules:

bash
git clone <url>
cd repo
git submodule update --init --recursive

Bare Clone ​

Clone without a working directory (for servers):

bash
git clone --bare <url>

Creates a .git repository without checked-out files.

Mirror Clone ​

Complete mirror including all refs:

bash
git clone --mirror <url>

Use case: Backing up or migrating repositories.

Quiet Clone ​

Suppress output:

bash
git clone --quiet <url>
# or
git clone -q <url>

Verbose Clone ​

Show detailed progress:

bash
git clone --verbose <url>
# or
git clone -v <url>

Clone with Different Remote Name ​

bash
# Clone and name remote something other than 'origin'
git clone --origin upstream <url>

Template Directory ​

bash
# Clone using template directory
git clone --template=<template-dir> <url>

Clone Protocols ​

HTTPS Clone ​

bash
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

Pros:

  • Works through firewalls
  • Easy to set up
  • No SSH key needed

Cons:

  • Requires password (unless using credential helper)
  • Slower for large repos

SSH Clone ​

bash
git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git

Pros:

  • No password needed (uses SSH key)
  • More secure
  • Faster

Cons:

  • Requires SSH key setup
  • May be blocked by firewalls

Local Clone ​

bash
# Clone from local path
git clone /path/to/repo

# Clone from file:// protocol
git clone file:///path/to/repo

After Cloning ​

What Clone Does ​

When you clone:

  1. Creates new directory
  2. Initializes .git folder
  3. Downloads all repository data
  4. Checks out default branch
  5. Creates origin remote pointing to source

View Clone Information ​

bash
# Check remote
git remote -v

# Check branches
git branch -a

# Check current branch
git branch --show-current

# View clone configuration
git config --list

Common Workflows ​

Workflow 1: Basic Clone and Start Working ​

bash
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Enter directory
cd repo

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature-new

# Make changes
# ... edit files ...

# Commit
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"

# Push
git push -u origin feature-new

Workflow 2: Fork Workflow ​

bash
# Clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/repo.git

# Add upstream remote
cd repo
git remote add upstream https://github.com/original/repo.git

# Verify remotes
git remote -v

Workflow 3: Quick CI/CD Clone ​

bash
# Shallow clone for CI/CD (fast)
git clone --depth 1 --single-branch --branch main <url>

# Run tests
npm test

# Deploy if tests pass

Workflow 4: Clone Large Repository ​

bash
# Start with shallow clone
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/large/repo.git

# Later, fetch full history if needed
cd repo
git fetch --unshallow

Troubleshooting ​

Clone Fails: Permission Denied ​

bash
$ git clone git@github.com:user/private-repo.git
Permission denied (publickey).
fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

Solution:

bash
# Check SSH key
ssh -T git@github.com

# Add SSH key if not set up
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# Or use HTTPS instead
git clone https://github.com/user/private-repo.git

Clone Fails: Repository Not Found ​

bash
$ git clone https://github.com/user/wrong-repo.git
fatal: repository 'https://github.com/user/wrong-repo.git/' not found

Solution:

  • Verify repository URL
  • Check repository visibility (private vs public)
  • Check repository name spelling
  • Ensure you have access

Clone Too Slow ​

bash
# Use shallow clone
git clone --depth 1 <url>

# Or use SSH instead of HTTPS
git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git

Out of Disk Space ​

bash
# Use shallow clone to save space
git clone --depth 1 <url>

# Clean up afterwards
git gc --aggressive

Converting Clone Types ​

Convert Shallow to Full ​

bash
# After shallow clone, fetch full history
git fetch --unshallow

Convert Single-Branch to All Branches ​

bash
# Remove single-branch restriction
git config remote.origin.fetch "+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*"

# Fetch all branches
git fetch origin

Best Practices ​

1. Use SSH for Frequent Access ​

bash
# Set up SSH keys once, use everywhere
git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git

2. Use Shallow Clones for CI/CD ​

bash
# Faster builds
git clone --depth 1 <url>

3. Clone with Submodules When Needed ​

bash
# Don't forget submodules if project uses them
git clone --recurse-submodules <url>

4. Use Specific Branch for Features ​

bash
# Clone directly to the branch you need
git clone -b feature-branch <url>

5. Verify Clone Success ​

bash
cd repo
git status
git log --oneline -5

Clone Size Optimization ​

Check Repository Size ​

bash
# Before cloning, check repo size (GitHub)
# Look at repository page

# After cloning
du -sh .git/

Reduce Clone Size ​

bash
# Option 1: Shallow clone
git clone --depth 1 <url>

# Option 2: Sparse checkout (partial clone)
git clone --filter=blob:none <url>

# Option 3: Specific branch only
git clone --single-branch -b main <url>

Cloning Behind Proxy ​

bash
# Set proxy
git config --global http.proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080

# Clone
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Unset proxy later
git config --global --unset http.proxy

Summary ​

Git clone is essential for:

  • ✅ Getting started with projects
  • ✅ Contributing to open source
  • ✅ Setting up development environment
  • ✅ Creating backups
  • ✅ Testing projects

Key Commands:

  • git clone <url> - Basic clone
  • git clone --depth 1 - Shallow clone
  • git clone -b branch - Clone specific branch
  • git clone --recurse-submodules - Clone with submodules

Key Takeaways:

  • Clone creates local copy of remote repository
  • Use HTTPS for simple setup, SSH for convenience
  • Shallow clones are faster and smaller
  • Always verify clone success
  • Set up remote tracking after clone

See Also ​

Released under the MIT License and CC BY-SA 4.0.

Copyright © 2025 Abir Hasan