Git vs GitHub
One is a tool, the other is a website — untangle the most common beginner confusion in a few minutes.
Let's kill the #1 confusion in this subject before it can bite:
- Git — a program on your computer. Records snapshots into your local repo. Works offline. Made in 2005. Nobody owns it (open source)
- GitHub — a website (github.com). Stores copies of Git repositories online so people can share and collaborate. Founded 2008. Owned by Microsoft
An analogy that holds up well:
> Git is to GitHub what photos are to Instagram.
Your camera takes photos (Git makes commits) — no internet needed, entirely yours. Instagram (GitHub) is one popular place to publish them so others can see and respond.
You can use Git your whole life without GitHub. GitHub without Git, though, is meaningless — it's a home for Git repos.
So what does GitHub add on top of hosting?
- A shared meeting point — teammates sync their local repos through it (Module 5)
- Pull requests — propose changes, discuss, review before merging (Module 6)
- A portfolio — your GitHub profile is a de-facto CV; employers really do look
- Open source's town square — nearly every major project (React, Python, Linux itself) develops in the open there
- Extras that matter later: issues (bug tracking), releases, automation (Actions)
And it's not alone: GitLab and Bitbucket are direct alternatives. What you learn about GitHub in this course transfers to them nearly 1:1 — they're all homes for Git repos.
Which statement is TRUE?
- AYou can use Git perfectly well without GitHub
- BYou must create a GitHub account before Git will run
- CGit and GitHub are two names for the same thing
- DGitHub works fine without Git
Your team of four wants everyone's commits synchronised in one shared place. Which piece provides that?
- AGitHub (or GitLab/Bitbucket) — a hosted copy of the repo everyone syncs with
- BGit alone — it broadcasts commits to teammates automatically
- CEmail — sending .git folders weekly
- DA shared USB stick
A job posting asks for 'experience with Git'. Another asks for 'a GitHub profile with projects'. What are they each really asking for?
- AThe first: skill with the version control tool; the second: public proof of your work
- BBoth mean the same thing
- CThe first: a website account; the second: a program
- DNeither has anything to do with version control
- Git = the local version-control program (2005, open source, works offline)
- GitHub = a website hosting Git repos for sharing, review, and collaboration (2008, Microsoft)
- Photos vs Instagram: the tool creates, the platform shares
- Alternatives (GitLab, Bitbucket) work the same way — the skills transfer
- GitHub doubles as your public portfolio
Enough concepts — time to install the tool and introduce yourself to it.