The Benefits of GitHub

I can’t imagine coding life without GitHub. I have become quite dependent on it and I commit like crazy and often, as that is how I was taught. However, I have learned that not all developers know about GitHub or take advantage of what the site has to offer them. Therefore, I will write this article as if you may have only heard of GitHub, but do not know what it really has to offer you.

What is GitHub? It is a repository hosting service for your Gits, & a Git is a command-line tool. GitHub provides a web-based graphical interface, collaboration features, management tools, access control, and much more. Most of all, it provides a safe and productive place for developers to store their projects and coding practices.

Developers can store these projects in the form of repositories. It is your own personal coding library of your work and progress as you grow as a developer. Repositories can be saved in different versions as either public if you want to make your work shareable, or you choose to keep your work private.

One of the primary benefits of GitHub is version control. You can work on your own repository or branch out and work on teams. There is great flexibility in how work is saved and how old code and new code is accessible. This allows developers to create a history of changes to code as they occur.

The collaboration tools GitHub offers are ideal for teamwork. They allow you to create repositories and designate certain users to have access to and to modify and save and push to your code. This is important for collaborations where several people may be working on different pieces of code that need to be pushed into one repository for practical functionality.

GitHub is an excellent resource for showcasing your web development skills. If you make your repositories public, potential clients, recruiters, team members, and prospective employers and view your profile and work and see your level and diversity of skills and how you have grown over time.

Potential clients and employers will be able to view your code, get an idea of how you think, visualize your problem-solving skills, and ultimately see whether or not you have the potential to be a good fit or could easily adapt to the culture of their company.

In closing, GitHub will make your life easier, but will also boost your profile as a web developer. One of the most important things to remember is to commit often. You want to be able to go back and look at old code. Outsiders want to see a lot of commits from you and they want to see a great progression of code. In addition, when you have a lot of commits, you too can see your own journey through your projects. Happy coding!