Git & GitHub

This guide is designed to help us utilize Git and GitHub for our collaborative projects. Git is a versatile version control system that enables us to track and manage changes to our projects, allowing easy reversion to previous states and concurrent development on different features. GitHub enhances these capabilities with a user-friendly platform that supports remote collaboration, making it an indispensable tool for modern scientific research.

What is Git?

Git is a distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Created by Linus Torvalds in 2005, Git allows multiple developers to work on a project simultaneously without overwriting each other’s changes. It tracks changes to files, enabling users to revert to previous versions and collaborate effectively. Git is known for its robustness, flexibility, and strong support for non-linear development through its branching and merging capabilities.

What is GitHub?

GitHub is a web-based platform that uses Git for version control and provides a collaborative environment for developers to manage their projects. It offers a wide range of features, including repositories for storing code, issue tracking, pull requests, code review, and project management tools. GitHub also supports social coding, allowing developers to follow each other, star repositories, and contribute to open-source projects. It integrates with various tools and services, making it a powerful hub for software development and collaboration.

Difference Between Git and GitHub

While Git is a version control system that runs locally on your computer, GitHub is a cloud-based platform that hosts Git repositories. Git allows you to manage and track changes in your code, while GitHub provides a centralized location to store your code online and facilitates collaboration with other developers. In essence, Git is the tool for version control, and GitHub is a service that enhances Git by offering a user-friendly interface, collaboration features, and additional project management tools.