Your Connection to Earth
You've learned about Git—your spacecraft's local navigation system. Now meet GitHub—mission control on Earth. While your spacecraft (Git) operates independently, mission control (GitHub) provides collaboration, backup, and coordination with the global space program.
What is GitHub?
GitHub is a web-based platform that hosts Git repositories. Think of it as:
- A backup station: Your code is safely stored in the cloud
- Collaboration hub: Teams work together on shared projects
- LearnGit.space - Coordinate with developers worldwide
- Portfolio: Showcase your work to potential employers
- Open-source archive: Access millions of free, open projects
GitHub vs Git: The Relationship
Understanding this distinction is crucial:
- Git: Version control software you run locally
- GitHub: Web service that hosts Git repositories
Git works perfectly without GitHub. But GitHub adds powerful features for collaboration and backup. Alternatives include GitLab, Bitbucket, and Gitea, but GitHub is the most popular.
Why Developers Love GitHub
Collaboration at Scale
GitHub allows thousands of developers to work on the same project. Linux, React, TensorFlow—massive projects with contributors worldwide—all coordinate through GitHub.
Pull Requests
Propose changes to projects. Other developers review your code, suggest improvements, and merge it when ready. It's like submitting mission plans for peer review before execution.
Issues and Project Management
Track bugs, plan features, and manage tasks. Every problem gets an issue number, discussion thread, and resolution tracking.
Documentation
README files, wikis, and GitHub Pages let you document projects beautifully. Good documentation is as important as good code.
Social Coding
Follow developers, star projects you like, fork repositories to customize them. It's a social network for code.
Creating Your GitHub Account
Ready to join mission control? Let's create your account:
- Visit github.com
- Click "Sign up"
- Enter your email, password, and username
- Verify you're human (captcha)
- Verify your email address
- Choose free plan (plenty for learning and personal projects)
Choosing Your Username
Your GitHub username is your professional identity. Choose wisely:
- Keep it professional (employers will see it)
- Make it memorable
- Avoid numbers unless they're meaningful
- Consider using your real name if available
Key GitHub Concepts
Repositories
Each project is a repository. It contains all files, history, and collaboration tools. Repositories can be public (anyone can see) or private (invitation only).
Remote vs Local
- Local repository: On your computer (Git)
- Remote repository: On GitHub's servers
You'll sync between them with push (upload) and pull (download) commands.
Cloning
Download a complete copy of a repository to your computer. You get all files and complete history.
Forking
Create your own copy of someone else's repository on GitHub. You can modify it freely without affecting the original.
Stars and Watching
- Star: Bookmark projects you like
- Watch: Get notifications about project updates
GitHub's Interface
Dashboard
Your home base showing recent activity, repositories, and recommendations.
Profile
Your public identity. Shows your repositories, contributions, and activity. Employers often check GitHub profiles!
Explore
Discover trending projects, topics, and collections.
The Power of Open Source
GitHub hosts millions of open-source projects. This means:
- Free access to incredible software
- Learn from professional code
- Contribute to projects used by millions
- Build your reputation and skills
Many famous projects are on GitHub: Linux kernel, Visual Studio Code, React, TensorFlow, Python, and thousands more.
GitHub for Learning
GitHub is an incredible learning resource:
- Read code from experienced developers
- See how large projects are structured
- Study commit messages to understand decision-making
- Follow development discussions in issues and pull requests
GitHub Features You'll Use
README.md
The front page of your repository. Written in Markdown, it explains what your project does, how to use it, and how to contribute.
Issues
Bug reports, feature requests, and discussion threads. Each issue has a number (#1, #2, etc.) for easy reference.
Pull Requests
Proposed changes to the codebase. Includes code review, discussion, and automated testing.
Actions
Automated workflows—run tests, deploy code, generate documentation automatically.
GitHub Pages
Free static website hosting directly from your repository. Perfect for project documentation or personal sites.
GitHub Alternatives
While we focus on GitHub, alternatives exist:
- GitLab: Similar features, focus on DevOps, can self-host
- Bitbucket: Atlassian product, integrates with Jira
- Gitea: Lightweight, self-hosted option
GitHub is most popular, especially for open source, so we'll use it for training.
GitHub Pricing
GitHub offers:
- Free: Unlimited public/private repositories, core features
- Pro: $4/month, advanced tools, more Actions minutes
- Team/Enterprise: For organizations
The free tier is perfect for learning and most personal projects.
Account Created?
If you've created your GitHub account, you're ready to start your first repository. In the next phase, we'll initialize a local Git repository—the first step in every project.
Your GitHub Journey
GitHub will become your professional portfolio. Over time, you'll:
- Build repositories showcasing your skills
- Contribute to open-source projects
- Collaborate with developers worldwide
- Learn from the global development community
Your contribution graph (showing your daily activity) becomes a badge of honor—proof of consistent effort and learning.
Ready to Launch
You now understand GitHub's role in the development ecosystem. With your account created and Git configured, you're ready to initialize your first repository.
Mission Control Online: You're connected to the worldwide developer community. Your backup systems are in place. Time to start building.