What is GitHub and why should I join?

It seems many Dev's use GitHub. What is GitHub and why do I need to join?
How will I use it to learn and become a better coder?

Comments

[Tyler V. (he/him)]

Github isn't directly a way to learn in the way that tutorials are, but is a great way to:

• Collaborate with others
• Contribute to Open Source
• Save your work
• Show off your work

If you're looking to get started with GitHub/git, I have a post breaking down the concepts:

Crash Course: git Lingo

Tyler V. ・ 5 min read

#github #git #beginners #codenewbie

I also recommend this article about the concepts behind git:

Learn git concepts, not commands

Nico Riedmann ・ 36 min read

#git #tutorial #beginners

[Angela Whisnant]

Thanks! I did join GitHub and am looking around a bit trying to get my bearings. I understand it's purpose a little better now.

[Shawn McElroy]

Some employers will ask for your github profile as well when in the interview process. Generally, they want to see how you code. Maybe how often you code, and if you contribute to other projects.

Keep in mind that GitHub is not the only player in the game. There is also Gitlab (my preference) though not as popular as github but probably the second most. There is bitbucket as well as a few other smaller ones. A benefit of github is exactly because they are the largest, so you have visibility. I like gitlab because of the tooling they have built in the github does not. So it's a trade-off.

But really, it's just a place to store your code and let others see what you have written. Unless what you write is some secret thing, don't be afraid to put your code up there. It doesn't matter how ugly you think your code it, there's probably worse code on there anyways.

[Angela Whisnant]

Thank you! Just trying to figure out how to use it and make it work for me.