---
title: "What Is GitHub? A Beginner Guide"
description: "GitHub is a website that stores your Git projects online so you can back them up, collaborate and deploy. Learn what it is and how to use it."
type: "fundamental"
locale: "en"
category: "tools"
canonical: "https://agenticschool.dev/fundamentals/what-is-github"
dateModified: "2026-06-12"
---

# What Is GitHub? A Beginner Guide

- Category: tools
- Updated: 2026-06-12
- Keywords: GitHub, repository, push, private repo, beginner
- Canonical URL: https://agenticschool.dev/fundamentals/what-is-github
- Locale: en

> GitHub is a website that stores your Git projects online so you can back them up, collaborate and deploy. Learn what it is and how to use it.

GitHub is a website that stores your Git projects online so you can back them up, share them and deploy them. If Git is the tool that saves snapshots of your project on your computer, GitHub is the place those snapshots live in the cloud. It is where most code in the world is kept, and most hosting platforms connect to GitHub to deploy your site automatically whenever you push new changes.

## What GitHub gives you

GitHub turns your local Git project into something durable and connected. Your code is backed up off your laptop, others can review and contribute, and deploy services watch your repository and redeploy on every change.

- A safe, off-machine backup of your whole project history.
- Collaboration: issues, reviews and pull requests for working with others.
- Deployment: hosts like Vercel deploy automatically when you push.

## Public vs private repositories

A repository (or "repo") is one project on GitHub. It can be public, meaning anyone can see the code, or private, meaning only people you invite can. For a business project, default to private so your code and intellectual property stay yours. You can always make it public later if you choose.

## Pushing your code

After you commit locally with Git, you "push" those commits to GitHub to upload them. The first time, you connect your local project to a repo; after that, pushing is one command. The reverse direction is called a "pull", which downloads changes from GitHub back to your computer, and matters once you work across two machines or with other people.

```bash
git push
```
Uploads your local commits to the connected GitHub repository.

## Common beginner confusions

The biggest one is the fear that pushing exposes your secrets. It can, if you are careless, which is exactly why secrets live in a .env file that Git ignores. Push your code, never your keys. People also mix up GitHub the website with Git the tool: you can have a perfectly good Git project that never touches GitHub, and GitHub simply adds a safe online home plus collaboration on top. Finally, you do not need to understand every button on a repository page to be productive. Connecting your project, committing and pushing covers almost everything a beginner does for weeks.

## FAQ

### Is GitHub free?

Yes. GitHub has a generous free tier that includes unlimited public and private repositories, which is plenty for learning and for most small projects.

### Should my repository be public or private?

For business or personal projects, default to private so your code stays yours. Make it public only when you deliberately want to share the source openly.

### Do I have to use GitHub to use Git?

No. Git works on its own. GitHub adds online backup, collaboration and easy deployment, which is why most people use them together.