GitHub is an online hosting service that is used for projects that are Open Source. GitHub does offer free options, but it also has paid plans for projects that are not public. The name comes from the fact that GitHub makes use of Git, a type of version control method. It is one of the most popular hosting services online among programmers and developers who create open source projects.
GitHub projects are known as repositories. Anyone can create an account on the hosting service and create a repository. They can then add anyone else on GitHub as a collaborator on the project. Users can even take an open source project that is on GitHub and “fork” it, creating a copy in a different repository. This allows users to modify open source projects as needed to create patches or additional modifications to the project. The original project owner can then see what the other users have done and accept or reject the changes.
WordPress developers often make use of GitHub for feedback on the themes and plugins they are developing. The ability to quickly collaborate with others, receive feedback, get their code reviewed, and find other code that may provide the solutions they need is invaluable.
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