Introduction

• git clone command is used to create a copy of an existing Git repository from a remote server (like GitHub, GitLab) to your local machine.
• It initializes a new local repository and automatically sets up a remote connection to the source repository.

• Features of git clone :
  • It will download all files, commit history, branches and tags from the remote repository.
  • It will creates a new folder with the same name as the repository (unless you specify a different name).
  • It will lnks your local repository to the remote source, making it easy to pull updates.

How to use git clone ?

1. Open the Git terminal (or command prompt) and navigate to the project folder where your Git repository is initialized.
2. Make sure that:
   • You have the remote repository URL (for example, from GitHub). In previous tutorial we have pushed one repository on GitHub.
   • 
3. Now run the git clone command:
   • Syntax : git clone <remote-repo-URL>
   • Example : git clone https://github.com/SmartProgrammingCoders/GitDemo.git

• The command will show the following:
  
• Here, we have cloned the GitHub repository from the URL https://github.com/SmartProgrammingCoders/GitDemo.git to our local machine using the git clone command.
• This creates a local copy of the repository, allowing us to work on the project locally while staying connected to the remote repository on GitHub.

Different ways to use git clone ?

1. Cloning Basic Repo:
   • Syntax:
     • git clone <repository-url>
   • Example:
     • Clone from Online Repo: git clone https://github.com/SmartProgrammingCoders/GitDemo.git
     • Clone from Local Repo (less preferred): git clone "C:\Users\Deepak Panwar\Desktop\gitdemo"
2. Cloning into a Specific Directory:
   • Syntax:
     • git clone <repository-url> <custom-directory-name>
   • Example:
     • git clone https://github.com/SmartProgrammingCoders/GitDemo.git my-local-repo
3. Cloning into a Specific Directory:
   • Syntax:
     • git clone <repository-url> <custom-directory-name>
   • Example:
     • git clone https://github.com/username/repo-name.git my-local-repo
4. Cloning with Specific Branch:
   • By default, git clone fetches the default branch (usually main or master).
   • To clone a specific branch, syntax is:
     • git clone -b <branch-name> <repository-url>
   • Example:
     • git clone -b develop https://github.com/username/repo-name.git
5. Cloning with Limited History:
   • If you want to save time and bandwidth, clone only recent commits:
   • Syntax:
     • git clone --depth <number> <repository-url>
   • Example:
     • git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/username/repo-name.git (clones only the latest commit)
6. Cloning via SSH:
   • If you have SSH access configured, you can use the SSH URL:
   • Example:
     • git clone git@github.com:username/repo-name.git
   • Faster and more secure for private repositories.