{"meta":{"title":"About forks","intro":"Use forks to make changes in your own copy of a repository and propose them back to the original project.","product":"Pull requests","breadcrumbs":[{"href":"/en/pull-requests","title":"Pull requests"},{"href":"/en/pull-requests/get-started","title":"Get started"},{"href":"/en/pull-requests/get-started/about-forks","title":"About forks"}],"documentType":"article"},"body":"# About forks\n\nUse forks to make changes in your own copy of a repository and propose them back to the original project.\n\nA fork is a copy of a repository that you own, connected to the original repository, called the upstream repository. A fork lets you make changes in your own space without affecting the upstream project, and propose those changes back with a pull request.\n\n## Why use a fork\n\nA fork gives you an independent place to work while staying connected to the original project. Forks are useful when you want to:\n\n* Contribute to a project where you don't have write access.\n* Experiment with changes without affecting the upstream repository.\n* Explore a new direction that might become independent later.\n* Keep your own branches, issues, and pull requests separate from the upstream project.\n\n## Forks and branches\n\nForks and branches both give you a place to work on changes, but they work differently:\n\n* A **branch** lives inside a single repository. Use a branch when you have write access and collaborate in a shared repository.\n* A **fork** is a separate repository with its own settings, permissions, and collaboration space. Use a fork when you need independence from the upstream repository, or when you don't have write access.\n\nBecause a fork is its own repository, it gives you more independence than a branch. Because it stays connected to the upstream repository, your changes can still flow back through pull requests.\n\n## How forks connect to the upstream repository\n\nA fork shares its history with the upstream repository, so the two can exchange changes through pull requests. A fork also has its own visibility and permissions, which are tied to the upstream repository and the repository network it belongs to.\n\nFor most contributors, this connection stays in the background: you fork a repository, work in your copy, and open a pull request when you're ready to propose your changes.\n\n## Further reading\n\n* [Fork a repository](/en/pull-requests/how-tos/work-with-forks/fork-a-repo)\n* [Writing code for a project](/en/pull-requests/concepts/writing-code-for-a-project)\n* [Forks](/en/pull-requests/reference/forks)"}