What is the difference between 'git pull' and 'git fetch'?

Fetch

$ git fetch origin

git fetch really only downloads new data from a remote repository - but it doesn't integrate any of this new data into your working files. Fetch is great for getting a fresh view on all the things that happened in a remote repository.
Due to it's "harmless" nature, you can rest assured: fetch will never manipulate, destroy, or screw up anything. This means you can never fetch often enough.

Pull

$ git pull origin master

git pull, in contrast, is used with a different goal in mind: to update your current HEAD branch with the latest changes from the remote server. This means that pull not only downloads new data; it also directly integrates it into your current working copy files. This has a couple of consequences:

• Since "git pull" tries to merge remote changes with your local ones, a so-called "merge conflict" can occur. Check out our in-depth tutorial on How to deal with merge conflicts for more information.
• Like for many other actions, it's highly recommended to start a "git pull" only with a clean working copy. This means that you should not have any uncommitted local changes before you pull. Use Git's Stash feature to save your local changes temporarily.