// Learn

What is GitHub?

GitHub is a platform for storing code, tracking changes, and collaborating with other developers. Think of it as Google Docs for software.

The short version

GitHub is built on top of Git (a version control system) and adds a web interface, collaboration features, and social elements. It's where most of the world's open-source software lives, and it's where most development teams manage their code.

If you've ever clicked a link that starts with github.com, you've visited a code repository, a project's home base containing its code, history, and documentation.

How it works

GitHub is organised around repositories (repos). A repo contains:

  • Code: the actual files that make up a project
  • History: every change ever made, who made it, and when
  • Issues: bug reports, feature requests, and tasks
  • Pull requests: proposed changes waiting for review
  • README: the front page explaining what the project does

The typical workflow:

  1. Fork a repo (make your own copy)
  2. Clone it to your computer (download it)
  3. Make changes on a branch (a parallel version)
  4. Push your changes back to GitHub
  5. Open a pull request (ask the maintainers to review and merge your changes)

GitHub also provides automation (GitHub Actions), project management boards, wikis, and security scanning. It's more than a code host. It's a development platform.

Why it matters

GitHub is the default home for open-source software. AI models are trained on code hosted there. Job applications often include a GitHub profile link. If you work anywhere near software, you'll encounter GitHub, even if you never write a line of code yourself.

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