GitHub

What It Is

GitHub is a web platform that hosts Git repositories in the cloud. While Git is the tool that tracks your changes locally, GitHub is where you store and share those changes online. It adds collaboration features on top of Git: pull requests for reviewing changes, issues for tracking tasks, and Actions for automating workflows. GitHub is where most open-source software lives and where most deployment platforms (like Vercel) pull your code from. Think of Git as the engine and GitHub as the garage where you park, share, and show off your work.

Why It Matters

GitHub is the central hub that connects your code to everything else. Vercel deploys from GitHub. Collaborators access your code through GitHub. Your project history lives on GitHub as a backup. For operators, a GitHub account is essential infrastructure. Even if you are working solo, GitHub provides cloud backup for your code, a deployment trigger for your hosting platform, and a portfolio of your building work. Most AI coding tools and tutorials assume you have a GitHub account and know the basics.

In Practice

Your workflow typically looks like this: write code locally, commit with Git, push to GitHub, and Vercel automatically deploys the updated site. When you want to try something experimental, create a branch on GitHub, make your changes there, and merge it back into the main branch when you are satisfied. GitHub is also where you find open-source projects, starter templates, and community-built tools to learn from.