Why do I need to do `--set-upstream` all the time?

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In Git, the --set-upstream (or --set-upstream-to) flag is used when pushing a branch to specify the remote branch that your local branch should track. You typically need to use it when you create a new branch locally and want to push it to a remote repository for the first time or when you want to change the upstream branch that your local branch is tracking.

Here's an example to illustrate why you might need to use --set-upstream:

  1. Creating a New Branch and Pushing for the First Time:

    Let's say you create a new branch called my-feature to work on a new feature in your local repository. Initially, this branch doesn't exist on the remote repository.

    bash
# Create a new branch and switch to it
git checkout -b my-feature

# Make some changes and commit them
git commit -m "Implement new feature"

# Push the branch to the remote repository
git push origin my-feature

In this case, Git will prompt you with an error message that looks something like this:

perl
fatal: The current branch my-feature has no upstream branch.
To push the current branch and set the remote as upstream, use

    git push --set-upstream origin my-feature

Git is telling you that the branch you're trying to push doesn't have an upstream branch on the remote repository. To fix this, you can use --set-upstream to set up the tracking relationship:

bash
  • git push --set-upstream origin my-feature

    After running this command, Git establishes the tracking relationship, and you won't need to use --set-upstream in future pushes from this branch.

  • Changing the Upstream Branch:

    You may also need to use --set-upstream when you want to change the upstream branch that your local branch is tracking. For example, if you want to start tracking a different remote branch:

    bash
    1. # Change the upstream branch to a different one
git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/other-branch my-feature

      This command sets my-feature to track origin/other-branch as its upstream branch.

    Once you've set up the upstream branch using --set-upstream, Git will remember the relationship, and you won't need to specify it again in future pushes or pulls for that branch.

    In summary, you need to use --set-upstream when you create a new branch and want to push it to a remote repository for the first time or when you want to change the upstream branch that your local branch is tracking. It establishes the connection between your local branch and its remote counterpart, making it easier to push, pull, and synchronize changes.

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