Why use GitHub?

If you are a Git user, chances are that you also use an online repository, such as GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab. Each repository has a free-tier for open source projects, coupled with robust websites with varying feature sets, including on-premise Enterprise options that you can pay for. GitHub, with 38+ million repositories hosted in 2016, is by far the most popular online repository. GitHub is widely considered a baseline utility that will never go offline by the community.

Over time, GitHub has added many rich features that have transformed it from a mere repository to an online platform. Throughout this book, I’ll be referencing GitHub features and functionalities, so you can leverage its capabilities to transform the way you develop, maintain, and release software.