Demystifying Git and GitHub

If you are new to software development and have wondered what git and Github essentially mean, then you are at the right place! As a developer, you will encounter these two terms quite frequently and use them too! Get an answer to what git and Github are, why would you need them, and are they different? 🤔

Putting things Simply👀

Let us assume that you have built a calculator that can add and subtract numbers, you show it to your friend and he says, “That’s great! How about adding some more features to it like multiplication and division?” So what you can do is you can PUSH the implementation of the calculator, i.e., its code, on a hosting platform using ‘some tool’. On that platform, your friend can collaborate on the project and can introduce the code for multiplication or division. Using the tool again, you add the newly introduced code for multiplication or division. This will now be a new version of the calculator- the one with more features! So what hosting platform did you use here?** It is GITHUB- a website, a hosting service for your project.** Interestingly your project can now be called an Open Source project, or a Github repository!

Imagine that the multiplication feature is not working properly for decimal numbers and you want to get back to your previous calculator version. Is this possible? Yes, it is possible, using ‘the tool’ you’ve been using till now. The tool is called GIT- a version control system. It can allow you to get back to the previous version of your project, something like the undo button in MS Word!

So GIT is installed in your local system whereas GITHUB is a hosting service- a website where you can share your project with others, giving them the power to make revisions or edits.

Now that you know what git and GitHub are, you can go ahead and build some cool projects and collaborate with the projects of other programmers as well!👩‍💻

So if you haven't already, then get a Github account, install git and get into some real action! May the source be with you!🌞

Feel free to reach me on Twitter @ shivikapriya for any queries. Happy to help 😄🤝