What Is GitHub? An Introduction, How-To Use It, Components & More!

If you are an aspiring developer, programmer, or programming enthusiast, then we are sure you must have heard of GitHub. It is a popular programming resource/ development environment for real-time collaboration with code sharing and hosting open-source software development projects. Its development started back in October 2007 and was launched in April 2008. And as of January 2023, there are 100 million reported users of GitHub.

In this article, we will explore what is GitHub, how to use GitHub, various components of GitHub, a comparison between Git and GitHub, etc. So let's get started!

What Is GitHub?

GitHub is a web-based interface/ platform that provides version control software for developers to manage their repositories of code. In other words, it provides users with a web-based graphical user interface platform for hosting and sharing source code with other developers, making it easier to collaborate on coding projects. It also provides tools for version control, access control, issue tracking, and project & code management.

Since its creation in 2008, GitHub has become one of the most popular command-line tools for software development, with millions of users worldwide. The platform allows developers to create and manage millions of repositories, which are collections of code files and related resources. These repositories can be public repositories or private repositories, depending on the needs of the project.

What Is Version Control?

One of the key features of GitHub is its popular version control system, which allows core developers to track changes to their coding process over time.

A primary benefit of version control is that it makes it easier to collaborate on code with other developers.
Everyone can see the complete history and understand what changes have been made. This makes the overall developer experience better.
It also makes it easier to roll back changes, check if the code fails, and review the previous versions of the code base.

GitHub For Issue Tracking & Project Management

GitHub has an all-in-all collaborative interface. It provides tools for issue tracking and project management, making ,organizing and prioritizing tasks easier. Developers can use the platform to create a project board, create and assign tasks, track progress, and communicate with other team members to build collaborative projects as well as personal projects.

Some even consider GitHub a social networking site for programmers, project managers/ project owners, students, etc. that facilitates project management and collaboration.

Git And GitHub- A Comparison

Now that you know more about what is GitHub, let's look at another very important tool that is often discussed in close association with GitHub. Yes, we are talking Git!

Git and GitHub are two closely related but distinct tools that are often used together in software development. Here's a brief overview of the differences between the two:

Git: Git is a version control system that is used to manage changes to code over time.

It was created in 2005 by Linus Torvalds and is an open-source tool that is widely used by developers.
Git allows developers to track changes to their original code, create branches for experimentation or feature development, and merge changes from multiple contributors.

GitHub: GitHub provides user-friendly cloud-based Git repository hosting services with a web-based graphical interface.

It makes it easy for developers to collaborate on projects with other developers and supports management throughout development of the code projects.
It was created in 2008 and has become one of the most popular code-hosting platforms for software development.
GitHub provides a lot of opportunities for developers to work together on the platform, with version control and a list of repositories (public and private code repositories) and cloud-based tools.

Also read: Git Vs. GitHub | 11 Differences, Applications, Prices & More

How To Use GitHub?

You will have to follow a series of steps to use GitHub. This includes setting up an account, creating a repository, committing changes, and collaborating with others. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use GitHub and make the most of it:

Sign up for a GitHub account: Go to GitHub's website and sign up for an account. You can sign up for a free account, which allows you to create and host public repositories.
Create a new repository: Once you've logged in to your GitHub account, click on the plus sign (+) in the upper-right corner and select "New repository." Follow the prompts to create a new repository.
Clone the repository: Once you've created the repository, you'll need to clone it to your local machine. To do this, open a terminal and type the command code:
git clone <repository-url>
Replace <repository-url> with the URL of your GitHub repository.

Make changes to the code: Now that you've cloned the repository to your local machine, you can make changes to the code.
Commit changes: Once you've made changes to the code, you need to commit them. To do this, use the git add command to add the files you've changed, and then use the git commit command to commit the changes.
Push changes to GitHub: After you've committed your changes, you need to push them to GitHub. To do this, use the git push command:
git push origin <branch-name>
Replace <branch-name> with the name of the branch you're pushing to.
Collaborate with others: GitHub is designed for collaboration among developers, so you can invite other developers to work on your repository. To do this, go to the "Settings" tab of your repository, click on "Collaborators," and add the usernames of the people you want to invite.

Components of GitHub

GitHub is made up of several key components that work together to provide a comprehensive platform for different software development stages. Here are some of the main components of GitHub:

Repository: A repository, or "repo" for short, is a collection of files and code that is stored on GitHub. Repositories are used to manage several official projects, open-source projects, or single projects and can be accessed by other users for collaboration or review.
Branch: A branch is a copy of a repository that can be modified without affecting the original repository. Developers use the power of branches to work on specific features or fixes without disrupting the rest of the builder code across versions and source projects. Every repository has a master branch, which is the main branch, along with additional branches.
Pull Request: A pull request is a request to merge changes made in a branch back into the original repository. Pull requests are a key feature of GitHub, as they allow developers to collaborate on code sharing and changes in code templates and review each other's work before merging it into the main codebase and working on larger projects.
Issues: Issues are used to track bugs, feature requests, and other tasks related to a repository. Developers can create issues to report problems with the code across systems in the development projects or to suggest improvements, and other users can comment on issues to provide feedback or offer solutions to make the code safe.
Wiki: The wiki is a collaborative documentation tool that allows users to create and edit pages related to a repository. The wiki can be used to provide documentation, tutorials, and other resources related to a project.
Gist: The Gist is a simple way to share snippets or blocks of code with others. It is a standalone feature of GitHub that allows users to create and share code snippets without creating a full repository.
Actions: GitHub Actions is a powerful tool for automating workflows and building continuous integration and deployment pipelines. It allows developers to create custom workflows that can automatically build, test, and deploy code changes to production environments.

GitHub For Developers

GitHub is an indispensable cloud-based service tool for developers, as it provides a wide range of features that can help them manage their code repositories and collaborate with other developers. Here are some of the ways that GitHub can be useful for developers:

Version Control: GitHub provides a robust version control system that allows developers to keep track of changes to their code over time. This is essential for ensuring that changes are made in a controlled and structured manner and that issues can be quickly identified and resolved.
Collaboration: GitHub makes it easy for developers to collaborate with each other on code projects, whether they are working on the same team or are part of a larger open-source community. The platform provides tools such as pull requests, issue tracking, and code reviews, which can help streamline the collaboration process and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.
Sharing and Discovery: GitHub allows developers to share their code repositories and internal projects with fellow developers, making it easy to discover new projects and collaborate with other developers. The platform also provides a powerful search functionality that allows users to find complex projects, code repositories(code files), and google docs that meet their specific needs.
Continuous Integration and Deployment: GitHub integrates with a number of tools and services that can help developers to automate their workflows, such as continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) tools. This can help to streamline the development process and ensure that code changes are quickly and safely deployed to production environments.
Community Building: GitHub is also an excellent cloud storage platform for building communities around specific code projects or technologies. By sharing code and collaborating with others, developers can build a social network of like-minded individuals (developers for developers) who can help push their projects forward and provide valuable feedback and support. Fellow developers can get the opportunity to contribute to various collaborative software projects for organizations by giving their ideas toward projects, project goals, and code quality.

Tips To Create Your GitHub Portfolio

GitHub is not only a platform for version control and collaborative development but also an excellent tool for showcasing your work to potential employers, collaborators, and the potential developer community. Creating a GitHub portfolio can significantly enhance your professional profile and demonstrate your skills effectively. Here's how you can use GitHub as a portfolio:

1. Create a GitHub Account

The first step to building a GitHub portfolio is to create an account if you don't already have one. Visit the GitHub website and sign up for a free account. Make sure to choose a professional username, ideally your real name or a variation of it, to make your profile easily recognizable.

2. Set Up Your Profile

After creating an account, set up your profile to reflect your professional identity including profile picture, bio, location, and contact info.

3. Create Repositories

Repositories (repos) are where your projects live on GitHub. To use GitHub as a portfolio, create repositories for your projects:

Project Selection: Include a variety of projects that showcase your skills. These could be personal projects, assignments, or contributions to open-source projects.
Project Naming: Use clear, descriptive names for your repositories.
Descriptions: Write detailed descriptions for each repository, explaining what the project does, the technologies used, and your role in its development.

4. Organize Your Repositories

Organize your repositories to make your portfolio easy to navigate. GitHub allows you to pin repositories to you profile. So you can pin the ones that best represent your skills and experience. Also every must have a README file to introduce to the project and should include:

Project overview
Features
Installation instructions
Usage instructions
Contribution guidelines (if applicable)
License information

5. Showcase Your Code

The quality of your code is crucial when using GitHub as a portfolio. So make sure that you code is well-documents, clean and in adherence with best practices. Also use commit messages and branch features effectively. For example in commit messages show your workflow and how you approach problem-solving.

6. Leverage GitHub Pages

GitHub Pages allows you to host static websites directly from your GitHub repository. You can use this feature to create a personal website or a project demo.

7. Engage with the Community

Being active in engagement with the GitHub community can enhance your portfolio. For example, make contributions to other open-source projects, discussion on issues and pull requests by adding comments, etc.

8. Keep It Updated

Regularly update your GitHub portfolio to reflect your latest work and skills:

New Projects: Add new projects as you complete them.
Ongoing Projects: Update ongoing projects with new features or improvements.
Learning and Development: Share what you are learning through small projects or contributions.

With these tips, you can effectively use GitHub as a portfolio to showcase your skills, projects, and professional growth. An impressive GitHub portfolio can set you apart from other candidates and provide tangible proof of your abilities to potential employers and collaborators.

Who Uses GitHub?

GitHub is used by a diverse group of individuals and organizations, each leveraging the platform's powerful features to meet their unique needs. Here are some of the key users of GitHub:

1. Developers and Programmers: GitHub is popular amongst both individuals developer (who use it to manage their personal projects, share code, and collaborate with others) and groups of developers contributing to open-source projects. It’s a platform for collaboration, learning, and showcasing their work.

2. Software Development Teams: Many use GitHub to collaborate on code, track changes, and manage version control. With features like Issues, Projects, and GitHub Actions, development teams can manage their workflow, automate processes, and keep track of tasks and progress.

3. Companies and Enterprises: Many businesses use GitHub to manage their proprietary code in private repositories. GitHub Enterprise offers additional features tailored to the needs of larger organizations. Alsocompanies can integrate GitHub with their DevOps pipelines, utilizing continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) capabilities to streamline their development and deployment processes.

4. Educational Institutions and Students: GitHub is a valuable resource for students learning to code. Many educational institutions use GitHub Classroom to manage coursework, assignments, and collaborative projects. In addition, students and aspiring developers use GitHub to create and showcase their coding portfolios, demonstrating their skills to potential employers.

5. Researchers and Data Scientists: Researchers use GitHub to collaborate on research projects, share data, and publish code related to their research findings.

6. Designers and Content Creators: Designers use GitHub to manage versions of design files, collaborate on design projects, and share assets. Also, writers and content creators use GitHub to manage and publish content, particularly in environments where collaboration and version control are crucial.

7. Open Source Communities: GitHub is the go-to platform for many open-source projects. It provides tools for version control, issue tracking, and collaboration, making it easier for communities to develop and maintain projects collectively.

8. Non-Technical Users: Many non-technical users also work in GitHub to access and contribute to documentation, manuals, and other resources related to software projects.

GitHub is a versatile platform used by a wide range of individuals and organizations, from solo developers and open-source enthusiasts to large enterprises and educational institutions. Its comprehensive suite of tools and collaborative features makes it an essential resource for anyone involved in software development and beyond.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, GitHub is one of the most widely used and popular internet hosting services for software development. The process of using GitHub is quite simple and straightforward. All you have to do is create an account and follow the prompts to make repositories or issue commands as needed. Also, there are special use cases for developers, as mentioned in the section above. We are sure that this article addresses everything you need to know about what GitHub is, how to use it, and why it is an indispensable tool for developers as well as a wider audience seeking assistance in project management.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can beginners use GitHub?

Yes, GitHub is an excellent platform for beginners. It provides a user-friendly interface and a wealth of resources to help newcomers get started with version control and collaborative coding. Here are a few reasons why GitHub is suitable for beginners:

Learning Resources: GitHub offers extensive documentation, tutorials, and guides to help beginners understand how to use the platform effectively.
Community Support: The GitHub community is large and active, offering support through forums, discussions, and contributions to open-source projects.
Hands-on Practice: Beginners can practice by creating their own repositories, contributing to open-source projects, and collaborating with other developers.
Portfolio Building: GitHub allows beginners to showcase their projects and track their progress over time, which is valuable for learning and career development.

Overall, GitHub's intuitive tools and supportive community make it a great starting point for anyone new to coding and version control.

Q. Which language is used in Git?

Git is primarily written in C. The choice of C for Git's implementation allows it to be efficient and performant, which is crucial for a version control system managing potentially large codebases and extensive histories.

Q. What is the role of a repository in GitHub?

A repository in GitHub serves as a storage space for your project. It contains all the project's files, including code, documentation, and resources, along with their revision history. Repositories facilitate collaboration by allowing multiple users to work on a project simultaneously, track changes, and manage version control efficiently. They are the central place where all the development activity happens, from initial codebase creation to feature development and bug fixes.

By now you must know what is GitHub and how you too can make the most of it. Do check out the following:

Shivani Goyal

Manager, Content

I am an economics graduate using my qualifications and life skills to observe & absorb what life has to offer. A strong believer in 'Don't die before you are dead' philosophy, at Unstop I am producing content that resonates and enables you to be #Unstoppable. When I don't have to be presentable for the job, I'd be elbow deep in paint/ pencil residue, immersed in a good read or socializing in the flesh.