Forking Workflow in Open Source Ecosystem (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 9 May, 2026

The forking workflow allows developers to contribute to projects by creating a personal copy of a repository and making changes independently.

• Fork the repository on Github and clone it using Git.
• Make changes, commit, and push to your fork.
• Create a pull request to merge changes into the original project.

Forking and Cloning a Repository

Steps to fork a repository, set up your local environment, and prepare for contributing to an open-source project.

Step 1: Fork the Repository (GitHub)

• Go to the GitHub repository you wish to contribute to and click the Fork button (top-right corner) to create a copy in your own account.

Step 2: Clone the Forked Repository (Git)

• Clone your fork to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/your_username/forked_project

**Example:

git clone https://github.com/Aniruddha-Shriwant/techdocs

Step 3: Add Upstream Repository

• The upstream repository is the original repository you forked from.

git remote add upstream https://github.com/accordproject/techdocs

• **Verify remotes:

git remote -v

Step 4: Fetch and Sync with Upstream

• Fetch latest changes from the original repository:

git fetch upstream

• Update your local master branch:

git checkout master
git merge upstream/master

Step 5: Create a New Branch

• Always create a new branch for your changes:

git checkout master
git checkout -b yourNewBranch

Step 6: Work on Changes

• Make your changes in the new branch
• Add and commit changes:

git add .
git commit -m "your commit message"

Step 7: Rebase Before Creating Pull Request

• Keep your branch updated with the latest upstream changes:

git fetch upstream
git checkout master
git merge upstream/master

• Rebase your branch:

git checkout yourNewBranch
git rebase master

Step 8: Push Changes and Create Pull Request

• Push your branch to GitHub:

git push origin yourNewBranch

• Then go to GitHub and create a Pull Request (PR).