# Git Tip: Keeping an eye on the source repository


### Why do I need to check out a source repository alongside my forked repository?
- It helps you to compare the source code of the forked repository with the source code of the source repository.
- It also helps you to see the changes made in the source repository.

### Checking out the source repository
**Step 1**: 
Open a Git Bash terminal.

**Step 2**: 
Change directory to the directory where you have cloned the repository.

**Step 3**: 
Check out the source branch.
Command syntax:
```bash
git remote add repo_name url_of_source_repository
```
Runnning the command will add a remote repository named "repo_name" to the local repository.

**Step 4**: 
Fetch the source branch.
Command syntax:
```bash
git fetch repo_name master 
```
Runnning the command will fetch the master branch from the remote repository.

#### Comparing the two repositories
To compare the two repositories, you can use the following command:
```bash
git diff --stat origin/master repo_name/master
```
The option `--stat` shows the number of added, deleted, and modified lines and not the actual content of the files. Don't use `--stat` if you want to see the actual content of the files.

#### Checking latest commits in the source repository
To see the latest commits in the source repository, you can use the following command:
```bash
git log [--oneline] [--graph] [--after=date] [--before=date] [--author=author] repo_name/master
```
The option `--oneline` shows the commit message.
The option `--graph` is used to show the commit graph.
The option `--after=date` shows the commits after the date.
The option `--before=date` shows the commits before the date.
The option `--author=author` shows the commits made by the author.

There can be many more options to filter the commits. Check the [Git log documentation](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-log) for more information.

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