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Joel Olawanle
Joel Olawanle

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Git & GitHub: Explained Like I'm Five

As a software developer, Git and Github is something you can't do without. In this article, I will be explaining what Git & Github is all about, how to get started, pushing your codes to Github, Creating Pull request(PR), understanding major terms like fork, clone, merge, and lots more. I will also highlight some reasons why Git & Github is something you can't do without as a Software developer.

Git

Git is a free open source version control system which is the most used in the world today as many developers interact with git daily. Git is a command-line tool. The next big question would be...

What is Version Control?

As developers, we tend to build software, apps, and lots more, in the process of building them we make constant changes to the code which leads to the release of new versions even after the first official release.

Version control helps us manage the changes made on documents, computer programs, large websites, and other collections of information. So when we make changes to our codes day by day, it stores the modifications in a central repository which we can easily check all changes made over time. This helps us see changes that occurred over time as well as how to track down bugs and possibly go back to the previous version of our code if we need to.

GitHub

GitHub is a code hosting platform for version control and lets you and others work together on projects from anywhere in the world. In other words, this is where developers can store their projects and network with like-minded people. Visit https://github.com/join to create a Github account.


Sometimes, you might hear people ask questions like, Which is Better Git or GitHub?

Here is a very clear answer by DevMountain Git is a version control system that lets you manage and keep track of your source code history. GitHub is a cloud-based hosting service that lets you manage Git repositories. If you have open-source projects that use Git, then GitHub is designed to help you better manage them.

why Git & GitHub is something you can't do without as a Software developer

There are so many reasons why all developers should make use of GitHub

  1. It makes it easier for you to showcase your Projects/codes
  2. It helps you track changes in your code across versions
  3. It makes it easy to contribute to your open source projects
  4. It makes it easier for two or more people to collaborate not minding where they are.
  5. Latest feature on Github allows you to create a profile repository for yourself, this makes it easier for you to connect with people and even opens you to Job opportunity.

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These are just a few reasons why you should make use of GitHub. You can drop some if you have any as a comment.


As always, any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a response or tweet me 🀭! Be sure to connect with me on socials! 😎

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