What are the differences between 'git pull' and 'git fetch' commands in version control?

The git fetch and git pull commands are used to update the local repository, but they work differently:

• git fetch downloads changes from the remote repository to the local one, but does not merge them with the current branch. This allows you to see new commits without changing your working copy.

• git pull performs git fetch, then automatically merges the fetched changes with the current branch. This is more convenient when you want to update your working copy immediately.

Example:

# Fetch updates without changing the current branch
git fetch origin

# View new commits
git log HEAD..origin/main

# Update the current branch from remote
git pull origin main

Use git fetch if you want to control the merge process, and git pull for quick updates.