When starting out in software development, it’s common to confuse Git and GitHub. They sound similar and are often used together—but they serve very different purposes.
In this article, we'll break down what Git and GitHub are, how they work together, and how you can use them with real examples.
🔧 What is git?
Git is a distributed version control system. It runs locally on your computer and lets you track changes to your code over time.
With Git, you can:
- Save snapshots of your project (called commits)
- Create branches to experiment with features or fixes
- Revert to previous versions if something goes wrong
- Collaborate with others without needing internet access
✅ Example git commands
# Initialize a new Git repository
git init
# Stage files to be committed
git add .
# Commit with a message
git commit -m "Initial commit"
# View commit history
git log
All of this happens on your machine. You don’t need GitHub or any remote service to use Git.
☁️ What is github?
GitHub is a cloud-based platform for hosting Git repositories. It lets you:
- Back up your code online
- Share your projects with others
- Collaborate via pull requests and issues
- Automate workflows with GitHub Actions
- Track bugs, tasks, and changes with project boards
In short, GitHub is the place where teams work together on Git-powered projects.
🔗 How git and github work together
You use Git to manage your code history locally, and GitHub to store and collaborate remotely.
Common workflow example
# Create a local repo
git init
# Add GitHub as the remote
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/yourrepo.git
# Push your local changes to GitHub
git push -u origin main
Once your code is on GitHub, teammates can:
- Review your pull requests
- Clone the repository
- Leave comments
- Contribute with branches and forks
🛠 Git without github?
Yes! Git is fully functional on its own.
You can:
- Manage private or internal projects
- Work offline for long periods
- Share code via email or USB
- Use other platforms like GitLab, Bitbucket, or Azure DevOps
☁️ Github without git?
Not really. GitHub is built on top of Git. You can technically browse and edit files via the GitHub UI, but all real version control and collaboration depends on Git.
💡 Real-world use cases
| Task | Tool Used |
| Saving your progress | Git |
| Switching to a feature branch | Git |
| Backing up to the cloud | GitHub |
| Reviewing a teammate’s code | GitHub |
| Undoing a mistake | Git |
| Creating a Pull Request | GitHub |
🧰 Bonus: useful git + github commands
# Clone a repo from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
# Create a new branch
git checkout -b feature/login
# Push a branch
git push origin feature/login
# Pull the latest changes
git pull origin main
📌 Summary
| Feature | Git | GitHub |
| Type | CLI tool | Cloud platform |
| Purpose | Version control | Hosting, collaboration |
| Internet Needed | No | Yes |
| GUI Available? | Only via third-party apps | Yes (web interface) |
| Popularity | Industry standard | Most-used Git hosting service |
🧠 Conclusion
Think of Git as your local time machine for code—and GitHub as the shared workspace where teams can build software together. They’re separate tools, but together they power modern development workflows.
If you’re just getting started, focus on learning Git fundamentals. Once you're comfortable, GitHub will become your best friend for sharing and collaborating on code.