What Is GitHub and What Is It For?

Having narrowed down the term hub, we still need to explain what Git is to complete the name of the platform covered in this post. So let’s get to it: Git is a version control system that simplifies project management, as it acts as a repository for code changes made. It allows you to check the changes made, and view and restore previous versions of applications, which are saved to prevent data loss.

With Git (version control software) and Hub (a space for meeting and exchange) defined, we now have the concept we were looking for.

What Is GitHub?

GitHub is a cloud application development platform based on the Git code repository, which facilitates collaborative work.

According to the company itself, it has a community of 73 million developers and 4 million organizations, who have 200 million repositories at their disposal.

Features of GitHub

This portal, acquired by Microsoft in 2018 for $7.5 billion, allows you to store, download, and modify different versions of an application or tool in the cloud. If the stored code is open source, any user can review it and make improvements to the development, fostering collaborative work within the GitHub community.

This platform also offers privacy options for cases in which users prefer to keep their work hidden. However, sharing knowledge and experience is rewarded through free use for open-source repositories.

What Is GitHub Used For?

Under this philosophy of sharing and collaborating to improve, GitHub allows you to insert or modify new versions of code (pull requests), comment on projects, report bugs, automate workflows (actions), request collaboration to solve problems (issues), start discussions (discussions), and create wikis to encourage participation. But in addition to all these options for collaborative and participatory work, it displays graphs showing project progress and, much like a social network, lets you follow developers to stay up to date with their new applications and tools.

As we can see, GitHub makes it possible to enhance tool and application development through collaboration with other users, save time by implementing existing code, or solve problems with the help of other developers—all in the cloud.