What is GitHub?
Quick answer
GitHub is an online platform where developers store, share and work together on code. It’s built on Git, a version-control system that tracks every change to a project. GitHub has been owned by Microsoft since 2018 and hosts millions of open-source projects.
Git vs GitHub
These two are easy to confuse:
| Git | GitHub | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Software that tracks changes to files | A website and service that hosts Git projects |
| Where it runs | On your own computer | In the cloud |
| Created | 2005, by Linus Torvalds | 2008 |
| Alternatives | Mercurial, SVN | GitLab, Bitbucket |
Key terms
- Repository (repo): A project folder with all its files and their full history.
- Commit: A saved snapshot of changes, with a short message describing them.
- Branch: A separate line of work, so you can try something without breaking the main version.
- Pull request: A proposal to merge changes from one branch into another, where others can review and comment first.
- Fork: Your own copy of someone else’s repository.
- Issue: A tracked bug report, task or idea.
What people use GitHub for
- Team software development, with code review and automated testing (GitHub Actions)
- Open-source projects, where anyone can suggest improvements
- Portfolios, since employers often look at developers’ public repos
- Free websites with GitHub Pages
- AI coding help with GitHub Copilot
Is GitHub free?
Yes, for most individuals. Free accounts get unlimited public and private repositories. Paid plans add team management and extra features.
If you’re new to programming, GitHub is a good place to keep your practice projects. Start with how to learn coding online, and see what an API is, since many GitHub projects are built around them.
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