GitHub Forks & Contribution Workflow

Learn how to fork repositories, contribute via pull requests, and keep your fork synchronized.

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A fork is a personal copy of someone else's repository on GitHub. Forking is the foundation of open-source contribution — you fork, make changes, and submit a pull request back to the original project.

Forking creates a server-side copy of the repository under your GitHub account. Unlike cloning, which creates a local copy, forking also gives you your own remote repository that you control completely. You can push any changes, create branches, and experiment freely without affecting the original project. When you're ready to contribute, you open a pull request from your fork to the upstream repository, protecting the original project from unauthorized changes while making contribution accessible to anyone.

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