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GitHub in few seconds

GitHub is a web platform built around Git, a version control system. It's widely used for collaborative software development, but its features make it valuable for research groups too.

GitHub provides:

  • Version Control: Tracks changes to files, allowing you to revert to previous versions and manage different versions of a project.
  • Collaboration: Enables multiple people to work on the same project simultaneously, with tools for managing contributions and resolving conflicts.
  • Backup and Sharing: Provides a central repository for code and documents.

For a more in depth description of Git visit Git Guides and Software Carpentry and for Github go to GitHub Docs and GitHub Skills

GitHub Education

GitHub offers several programs beneficial for students and academics, see and apply here:

  • GitHub Student Developer Pack: Provides free access to various developer tools and services, including GitHub Pro, which offers unlimited private repositories.
  • GitHub Campus Program: Supports universities and educational institutions in teaching software development with Git and GitHub.
  • GitHub Copilot: An AI-powered code completion tool that suggests code snippets based on the context of your project.
  • GitHub Codespaces: An online development environment that allows you to test code in your browser in a remote server.

Advantages for research

  • Reproducibility: Track changes to code, data, and documentation, ensuring research can be easily reproduced.
  • Collaboration: Facilitate collaboration among researchers, even across different institutions.
  • Open Science: Share research code and data publicly, promoting transparency and collaboration within the scientific community.
  • Publication and Citation: GitHub repositories can be cited in publications, providing a persistent and citable record of your work, when interfaced with Zenodo.

Getting Started with GitHub

  1. Create an account: Sign up for a free GitHub account at github.com.
  2. Install Git: Download and install Git on your local machine from git-scm.com.
  3. Create a repository: Create a new repository on GitHub.
  4. Clone the repository: Clone the repo to your local machine using git clone <repository_url>, or use VS Code.
  5. Make changes: Modify files in your local repository.
  6. Commit changes: Stage your changes using git add <file> and commit them with a descriptive message using git commit -m "Here is my comment".
  7. Push changes: Upload your commits to the remote repository on GitHub using git push.

Best Practices

  • Write clear commit messages: Explain the purpose of each change.
  • Fork, change it, test it: You can fork (copy) a repo to your profile, make and test changes and then merge to the original repo.
  • Use branches: Create separate branches for different features or experimental features to avoid disrupting the main project.
  • Write documentation: Include documentation for your code, explaining its purpose and gives examples of usage. A good example is Quacc docs and repo
  • Regularly update your repository: Keep your repository up-to-date with the latest changes.
  • Consider using a license: Choose an open-source license to specify how others can use your code.
  • Ask for reviews: Before pushing changes to the main branch, ask for at least one code reviewer to ensure the quality of your code.