Many beginners assume "Git" and "GitHub" are the same thing. They're not — and once you understand the difference, the rest of this course gets a lot easier to follow.
Git: a tool on your computer
Git is a version control system — a program that runs on your computer (locally) whose job is to record every change to your project's files over time.
Think of it like a video game's "save" feature, but far more detailed:
- Every time you save progress (called a commit), Git records a complete snapshot of all files in the project.
- You can go back to any snapshot at any time.
- You can create alternate storylines (called branches) without breaking the main one.
Git works entirely offline. No internet required, no account needed. Install it on your laptop and it's ready to use.
GitHub: where you store & collaborate online
GitHub is a hosting platform — a website that stores an online copy of your Git project (called a remote), plus team collaboration features: Pull Requests, code review, issue tracking, CI/CD, and more.
Analogy: if Git is "the Word app on your laptop," GitHub is "Google Drive/Docs" — where the file lives online and can be edited together with others.
Important to realize: GitHub isn't the only platform like this. There's also GitLab, Bitbucket, and others — all built on the same underlying Git. This course focuses on GitHub because it's the most widely used, but the Git concepts you learn apply everywhere.
Why the difference matters
| Git | GitHub | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Version control software | Hosting + collaboration platform |
| Where it runs | Locally, on your machine | Online, on GitHub's servers |
| Needs internet? | No | Yes (for push/pull/clone) |
| Core features | commit, branch, merge, history | Pull Requests, review, issues, Actions |
Local vs Remote
flowchart LR
subgraph Local["Your Computer (Git)"]
WD["Working Directory"] --> STG["Staging Area"] --> REPO["Local Repository (.git)"]
end
subgraph Remote["GitHub (Remote)"]
RREPO["Remote Repository"]
end
REPO -- "git push" --> RREPO
RREPO -- "git pull / git clone" --> REPO
- Working directory: the files you're currently editing.
- Local repository: the commit history stored on your machine (a hidden
.git/folder). - Remote repository: the same history, but stored on GitHub — so your team can access it and it's backed up somewhere other than your laptop.
Why this matters to you
- History: you can view or roll back to an older version whenever something breaks.
- Collaboration: many people can work on the same project without overwriting each other's work.
- Backup: your code doesn't only exist on one laptop.
- Portfolio: your GitHub profile is concrete proof of your coding ability for future employers.
Summary
- Git = a version control tool, runs locally, works without internet.
- GitHub = an online platform that stores Git repos + adds team collaboration features.
- Every command you type in the terminal (
git ...) is a Git command. Features on the website (Pull Requests, reviews, etc.) are GitHub features.
Next up: installing Git and setting up the initial configuration so it's ready to use.