---
menu:
  workshop:
    parent: Validated Patterns
title: To Fork or Not to Fork
weight: 55
---

## Why fork?

![fork](/images/workshop/fork.png)

* You need to be able to make changes for your own organization's needs
* GitOps is all about git, merging changes safely is foundational
* Some changes make sense to be merged upstream
* You can make a pull request (PR) on the upstream pattern

## Typical recommended fork structure

```mermaid
graph LR
    upstream["validatedpatterns/pattern-repo<br/>(upstream)"] -->|fork| origin["your-org/pattern-repo<br/>(origin)"]
    origin -->|clone| local["Local Workstation"]
    local -->|"git push"| origin
    origin -.->|"pull request"| upstream
    upstream -.->|"git fetch upstream"| local
```

**Git Workflow**

* Find the pattern closest to the solution you require
  * Often this is [multicloud-gitops](https://github.com/validatedpatterns/multicloud-gitops)
* Fork the repository into your organization or personal account
* Clone your fork to your local workstation
* Deploy / Change / Test
* Create pull requests to the repo and merge