Compare fetch and pull

Author: nmagee

docs/basics.md

@@ -176,6 +176,15 @@ How is `fetch` different from `pull`? Pulling updates the HEAD of your repositor
 
 > **What does HEAD mean?** `HEAD` is the name for the current version of the repository, the most recent commit. Notice in the section below, the top-most (i.e. most recent) commit will also be aliased as `HEAD`.
 
+
+{: .note }
+**How are `pull` and `fetch` different or similar?**
+
+**`git fetch`** downloads changes from the remote and stores them in your remote-tracking branches (like `origin/main`), but leaves your working branch and local files completely untouched. You're essentially saying "show me what's out there" — you can then inspect the changes before deciding what to do with them.
+
+**`git pull`** does a fetch and then immediately merges (or rebases, if configured) the fetched changes into your current branch. It's the two-step process collapsed into one command — convenient, but it can introduce merge commits or conflicts without you explicitly deciding to merge.
+
+
 ## Log
 
 Since `git` was built to track changes, returning a log of all commits is simple. The default output is verbose and each entry takes several lines:
@@ -263,4 +272,4 @@ Practice the above skills by doing the following:
 6. `git commit` the added/changed files and `git push` it to GitHub.
 7. Using the GitHub web interface, add another file to your repository.
 8. Use `git pull` to pull down changes in the repository.
-9.  Use `git log` to view all commit activity in the repo.
+9.  Use `git log` to view all commit activity in the repo.