What is the -u uption in git push?

In Git, the -u option for the git push command is a shorthand for --set-upstream. This option is used to set the remote branch as the upstream branch for the current local branch. This means that future git pull and git push commands can be run without any arguments, as Git will remember the default remote branch to pull from and push to.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

1. Setting Upstream Branch: When you use git push -u origin <branch-name>, Git sets <branch-name> on the remote repository as the upstream branch for your current local branch.
2. Simplifying Future Commands: After setting the upstream branch, you can simply use git pull and git push without specifying the remote and branch names. Git will use the configured upstream branch by default.

For example:

git checkout -b dev

git push -u origin dev

After these commands, the dev branch on the remote repository will be the default upstream branch for your local dev branch. Future pushes and pulls can be done with just git push and git pull, and Git will know which branch to push to and pull from.

In summary, the -u option simplifies the workflow by reducing the need to specify branch names for common Git operations after the initial push.