Git and GitHub are closely related tools used in software development, but they serve different roles in managing and collaborating on source code.
- Git: A distributed version control system used to track and manage code changes locally.
- GitHub: A web-based platform that hosts Git repositories and provides collaboration features.
Git
Git is a distributed version control system that tracks and manages changes in source code efficiently.
- Designed for speed, data integrity, and reliable version tracking.
- Supports distributed, non-linear workflows.
- Enables efficient collaboration for teams and individuals.
GitHub
GitHub is a web-based platform that hosts Git repositories and adds collaboration features for managing code online.
- Adds collaboration features such as pull requests and issue tracking.
- Provides code hosting, review, and team collaboration tools.
Below is a table of differences between Git and GitHub:
| Git | GitHub |
|---|---|
| A software tool. | A web-based service. |
| A distributed version control system (DVCS). | A repository hosting and collaboration platform. |
| Primarily used through a command-line interface. | Provides a web-based graphical interface. |
| Installed locally on a developer’s system. | Hosted on the web. |
| Maintained by the open-source community. | Maintained by Microsoft. |
| Focuses on version control and change tracking. | Focuses on code hosting and collaboration. |
| Manages source code history. | Hosts version-controlled repositories. |
| First released in 2005. | Launched in 2008. |
| No built-in user access management | Includes user and access management. |
| Open-source licensed. | Offers free and paid plans. |
| Limited external tool integration. | Provides a marketplace for integrations. |
| Git competes with CVS, SVN, Mercurial, etc. | GitHub competes with GitLab, Bit Bucket, Azure DevOps Server, etc. |