git remote

A remote is just a name for a URL. Inside .git/config each remote has a section:

[remote "origin"]

    url = git@github.com:foo/bar.git

    fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*

The git remote command reads and edits this list.

Core commands

git remote                          # list names

git remote -v                       # with URLs and directions

git remote show origin              # detailed info: branches, tracking

git remote add upstream <url>       # add a remote

git remote rename origin foo        # rename

git remote remove upstream          # remove

git remote set-url origin <new>     # change URL without re-cloning

Typical output of git remote -v:

origin    git@github.com:me/bar.git (fetch)

origin    git@github.com:me/bar.git (push)

upstream  git@github.com:original/bar.git (fetch)

upstream  git@github.com:original/bar.git (push)

The two directions (fetch and push) can point to different URLs (rare case: pull from one, push to another). Usually they are the same.

Why "origin"

Just a name. Git defaults to cloning from origin because that is the convention. You can rename it:

git remote rename origin upstream

In the fork scenario (see fork-vs-clone):

• origin is your fork (me/repo).
• upstream is the original repository (original/repo).

More detail in upstream-vs-origin.

Change URL without re-cloning

Scenario: the repository moved from GitHub to GitLab. No need to clone again:

git remote set-url origin git@gitlab.com:foo/bar.git

git fetch

Everything continues to work, history intact.

Separate push URL and fetch URL

Sometimes you need to pull from a public mirror but push to a private one:

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/foo/bar.git

git remote set-url --push origin git@gitlab.com:foo/bar.git

Now git fetch goes to GitHub and git push goes to GitLab. Rare, but useful during migrations.

Pitfalls

• git remote add does NOT fetch automatically. After adding, you need git fetch <name>, otherwise the new remote's branches will not appear.
• The URL is stored in .git/config in plain text. If the URL contains a password (https://user:password@...) it sits there unencrypted. Use SSH or a credential helper instead.
• Remote names are local. Your upstream may point to one place, your colleague's to another. That is normal, but when talking in a team, refer to the URL, not the name.