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bashbeginner

Git Clone Specific Branch

Clone a specific branch from a remote repository without fetching all branches and history.

bash
# Clone a specific branch only
git clone -b develop https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone a specific branch with only that branch's history
git clone -b develop --single-branch https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone into a specific directory
git clone -b develop https://github.com/user/repo.git ./my-project

# Clone a specific branch with limited depth
git clone -b develop --depth 1 https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Clone a tag
git clone -b v1.0.0 --depth 1 https://github.com/user/repo.git

# After single-branch clone, add other branches if needed
git remote set-branches --add origin main
git fetch origin main
git checkout main

# Verify which branch is checked out
git branch -a

Use Cases

  • Cloning only a deployment branch for CI/CD
  • Reducing clone time for large repositories
  • Checking out a specific release tag

Tags

#git#clone#branch#repository

Related Snippets

Similar patterns you can reuse in the same workflow.

bashbeginner

Rename Git Branch (Local and Remote)

Commands to rename a local and remote Git branch including updating tracking references.

Best for: Fixing branch naming convention mistakes

#git#branch
bashbeginner

Delete Remote Git Branch

Commands to delete local and remote branches, prune stale references, and clean up merged branches.

Best for: Cleaning up after merged pull requests

#git#branch
bashintermediate

Git Hooks Pre Commit

Git workflow: git-hooks-pre-commit

Best for: version control

#git#version-control
bashadvanced

Git Hooks Post Commit

Git workflow: git-hooks-post-commit

Best for: version control

#git#version-control