What Is the Difference Between Git and GitHub?

Do you think GitHub is your source control? Can you install Git and GitHub on your machine? 

If you are looking for answers to these questions, you are in the right place. In this article, you will learn the core concepts about Git and GitHub, how they are different, and their similarities. 

Let's start with Git. 

Git 

Simply stated:

• Git is a distributed version control software.

• Git is open source and free (so anyone can use it).

In Git, You can keep track of the files in something called a repository or repo. You can use the Git commands on the command line or GUI to manage your repo.

Now before you learn GitHub, let's take an example.

Let's say you are working on some hobby project. In this case, you work alone in your private repository, and your colleague can not read and write. But what will happen if your hard disk crashes and you forget to take backup? Your work will be lost. All the time that you have spent building your project will disappear.

GitHub 

Now imagine if you can pass the responsibility to someone else to manage your backup or manage your source code. You can grant access to anyone so they can contribute. In your Git repo, other people can also contribute simultaneously (while you are working on some branch), or you can revoke their access if you want to work alone, etc. This is where GitHub comes into the picture.

GitHub is not software, it's a platform.

Git is software, not a platform.

To understand GitHub, let's look at another angle.

Do you know Facebook (social networking site) where people share pictures and messages?  You can imagine GitHub as another social networking site with 65 million software developers sharing their code.

With the help of GitHub, your code is on the Cloud. Now your team members can contribute to the same code on which you are working. Also, you should not worry if something goes wrong with your machine. Your code is already in the Cloud.  

Git vs. GitHub

You already know about Git and GitHub. Git is software, and GitHub is a platform. Let's dive a bit deeper and understand three core differences.

1. Git came first in the picture. It was first released in April 2005.  On the other hand, GitHub is a Git repository hosting service. It was started in 2008.
2. Git is a software, and GitHub is a SaaS offering (Software as a Service) that provides the Git version control software.
3. Git is entirely free, but GitHub is not. GitHub offers different plans from Free to Team and Enterprise.

Git Repository Hosting Services

You don't have to use any remote service like GitHub if all you want is local version control for your temporary project: local Git is just fine for that. But do you know the two most important advantages of having remote repositories?

1. Collaboration 
2. Backup 

They help you to collaborate with anyone in the world.  Also, you can use any Git repository hosting service. GitHub is one of the services which you can use, though there are many others like:

• GitLab

• Launchpad

• Bitbucket

• GitBucket

• Google Cloud Source Repositories

• AWS CodeCommit

There are many more that could be listed.

Git vs. GitHub vs. GitHub Desktop

Now the next question is can you install GitHub on your machine?

Let's take one step back: Git and GitHub are two different things. You can install Git on any machine and any OS. Git comes installed by default on most Linux and Mac machines! If you are on Mac, look for an application called "Terminal"; if you're on a Windows machine, check for "Git Bash".

Git is a command-line tool, but it does not mean you can not install its Graphics user interface. There are many.

You can also install GitHub Desktop. GitHub Desktop is a program that allows you to communicate with GitHub using a graphical user interface (GUI) rather than the command line or a web browser.

You can not install GitHub on your machine; GitHub is a SaaS platform. Instead, you can install Git and GitHub Desktop to interact with the Platform.

Git Commands

Understanding the fundamentals of Git will make it easier to comprehend and utilize GitHub. You should concentrate on studying Git rather than GitHub. As previously said, GitHub is a platform, and there are other alternatives to GitHub.

They're all here because of Git. And they're all using Git.  As a result, you should devote your time to studying Git Commands.

There are many ways to learn Git. The best way to learn Git is from command.

This concludes the discussion between Git and GitHub. Let me know what platform you use to work with your team on a daily basis, whether it's GitHub, GitLab, or something else.