03-introduction-to-git.qmd

---
output-file: introduction-to-git.html
---

# Introduction to git and GitHub {#sec-intro-git}

## All about git {#sec-all-about-git}

[git](https://git-scm.com/) is a version control system for software development. It allows developers to keep track of changes made to their code and collaborate with other developers on a project. git also allows for easy rollbacks and branch management. It is widely used in the software industry and is considered one of the best version control systems available.

git was developed by [Linus Torvalds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds) in 2005. He created git as a replacement for the proprietary version control system he was using at the time. The development of git was driven by the need for a distributed version control system, which allows multiple developers to work on a project simultaneously, without the need for a central server. Linus Torvalds is also known for creating the Linux operating system kernel.

To use git in your machines, you will need to install it as described in @sec-install-r.

## All about GitHub {#sec-all-about-github}

[GitHub](https://github.com) is a web-based platform that provides hosting for software development and a community of developers to collaborate, share and learn from each other. It is built on top of git, which is the version control system used for managing and tracking changes to the code. Developers can use GitHub to store and manage their code, collaborate with other developers, and track and manage issues and bugs. It also provides tools for code review, project management, and documentation. It is widely used by developers and organizations to host and share code, as well as to build and maintain open-source software.

GitHub is not a software you need to install. Rather it is a remote or cloud-based server that holds its users' code versioned using the git version control system and to which a user's local, git-versioned code syncs/communicates with.

A good illustration of the git and GitHub relationship can be viewed below:

![](images/git_and_github01b.png)