Git vs. GitHub (original) (raw)
Last Updated : 30 Mar, 2026
Git and GitHub are closely related tools used in software development, but they serve different roles in managing and collaborating on source code.
- **Git: A distributed version control system used to track and manage code changes locally with features like branching and merging.
- **GitHub: A web-based platform that hosts Git repositories and enables collaboration through pull requests, issues and team management.
| Git | GitHub |
|---|---|
| Works in a decentralized architecture where every developer has a full copy of the repository. | Works on a centralized hosting model for sharing and managing repositories online. |
| Operates mainly via command-line interface (CLI) with optional GUI tools. | Provides a web-based UI + integrations along with Git command support. |
| Installed and runs on the local machine. | Hosted on the cloud (web platform). |
| Focuses on version control operations like commit, branch, merge and rebase. | Focuses on collaboration workflows like pull requests, issues and code reviews. |
| Maintains complete history and snapshots of the project locally. | Hosts repositories and manages team collaboration and access control. |
| Open-source and maintained by the community (originally by Linus Torvalds). | Owned and maintained by Microsoft. |
| Does not include built-in access control or user management. | Provides role-based access control and permissions. |
| Competes with SVN, Mercurial, CVS. | Competes with GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps. |