Forking Workflow in Open Source Ecosystem

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).
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