GitHub is a web-based platform that helps developers manage and share their code. It’s like a social network for programmers, where they can store their projects, collaborate with others, and track changes to their code over time. It uses Git, a version control system, to keep track of all the updates made to a project, so you can see who made which changes and when.
Here’s how it works for a novice:
- Repositories: A repo is where your project’s files and history are stored. Think of it as a folder for your code.
- Commits: When you make changes to your project, you “commit” them. This saves a snapshot of your code at a specific point in time.
- Branches: You can create branches to experiment or work on new features without messing with the main project (called the “main” or “master” branch). Later, you can combine those changes back into the main branch.
- Collaboration: GitHub makes it easy to work with others. You can share your repo with people, and they can contribute by suggesting changes, which you can review and approve.
- Pull Requests: A pull request (PR) is a way to propose changes to a project. It’s like saying, “Here’s what I changed, do you want to add this to the main project?”
GitHub is widely used for open-source projects, where anyone can contribute, but it’s also helpful for private projects and individual developers to keep their code organized and backed up. It’s beginner-friendly once you get the hang of the basics!
