GitHub and Git explained clearly

30 May 2025

Table of contents

What GitHub is and what it’s for
What is Git: the engine behind GitHub
How Git and GitHub work together
Who uses GitHub and why
Where to start

In this article, we’ll explore GitHub, a key platform in the world of software development, and the version control system Git, which powers it

You’ll learn who uses GitHub, how it works, and why it’s a must-have tool for anyone involved in coding or cyber security.

Whether you’re managing secure code or contributing to open-source projects, this guide will give you a comprehensive understanding of both tools.

What GitHub is and what it’s for

GitHub is a cloud-based platform that allows users to store, share, and collaborate on software projects.

Each project is organized into a repository, a dedicated virtual space that contains all the code files, folders, documentation, and most importantly, a full history of changes, which is essential for tracking the evolution of the project over time.

Imagine you’re working on a mobile app that helps users secure their home Wi-Fi networks. Every time a developer adds a new feature—say, a module that detects suspicious devices—those changes are saved in a commit, along with a short description.

Example
This commit is stored in the project’s GitHub repository. Other teammates can immediately see what was changed, give feedback, propose alternatives, or test that feature independently—without disrupting the main application.

Some of the key benefits of using GitHub include:

The ability to document every change made to the code. This is crucial for both developers and security teams: if a new release introduces a vulnerability, you can quickly identify when and how it happened and roll back to a secure version.
It streamlines teamwork, even for large or distributed teams. Every developer can work on a separate copy of the codebase (a branch) and later merge their changes without interfering with others’ work, thanks to Git—the version control system that powers GitHub.
GitHub enables others to suggest improvements using pull requests. This is a core workflow in the open-source community. For instance, if a cyber security tool is hosted on GitHub, developers around the world can contribute fixes, enhancements, or optimizations directly through the platform.
It makes it easy to share code. A public repository is visible to anyone, making GitHub ideal for open-source cyber security projects like intrusion detection tools, vulnerability scanners, or even simple scripts for network auditing.

In the world of cyber security, GitHub has become a powerful resource for several reasons:

Secure code management
Including access controls, peer code reviews, and automatic alerts when unexpected changes occur—important safeguards against accidental or malicious code injection.
Change tracking
Recording who made each change, when, and what was changed. This is vital for security audits, version control, and incident response.
Collaboration control
While only authorized contributors can push changes to the main project, anyone can propose changes or report issues. This keeps the development process both open and secure.

Example
The widely used tool Fail2Ban—a log-based intrusion prevention system—has an active GitHub repository. Users report bugs, suggest improvements, and submit pull requests to improve its security and performance. Thanks to this collaborative environment, the tool continues to evolve, becoming more robust and secure over time.

Ultimately, GitHub is more than just a place to host code. It’s a collaborative ecosystem that supports transparency, traceability, and efficiency—qualities that are especially critical in cyber security, where managing and auditing your codebase properly can mean the difference between being secure or exposed.

What is Git: the engine behind GitHub

At the heart of GitHub lies Git, a distributed version control system created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 to manage the Linux kernel’s development.

Since then, Git has become the global standard for tracking changes in source code, especially in high-stakes areas like cyber security.

What Git does and why it matters

Git allows you to track every single change made to project files in a detailed, chronological, and traceable way. This means you always know:

Who changed what
When the change was made
Why it was made

Most importantly, Git supports parallel and secure development. Developers can each work on their own isolated copy of a project, called a branch, and only integrate changes into the main version after proper testing and review.

A practical example

Let’s say a security team is building a network intrusion detection system (IDS). One developer is tasked with adding a new feature to scan system logs for suspicious behavior. To avoid interfering with the stable version, they create a new branch:

git checkout -b intrusion-log-scanner

They begin coding and commit changes as they go:

git add log_analysis.py

git commit -m "Added suspicious log pattern detection module"

Once the module is ready and tested, they open a pull request on GitHub to propose merging their work into the main project branch (usually called main). After peer review, the team approves and merges the branch:

git checkout main

git merge intrusion-log-scanner

This way, Git allows changes to be introduced safely and transparently, preserving a full project history and preventing accidental overwrites.

Avoiding conflicts and securing critical code

A major strength of Git is its ability to handle merge conflicts intelligently. If two developers edit the same part of a file, Git will detect the conflict during the merge and require manual resolution. This is vital for cyber security projects, where:

Code integrity and consistency are non-negotiable.
Human errors can introduce vulnerabilities.
Every modification must be documented and auditable for compliance and investigation.

Version control for security tools

Suppose your team is writing a Python script to scan for open ports in a local network:

import socket

def scan_ports(ip):

    for port in range(1, 1025):

        with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as s:

            s.settimeout(0.5)

            result = s.connect_ex((ip, port))

            if result == 0:

                print(f"Port {port} is open")

scan_ports("192.168.1.1")

With Git, you can:

Track every change to the script across its lifetime.
Document new features (like UDP scanning, or saving logs to file).
Know exactly who introduced a change, for example, a faulty update that leaked scan results to a public server.

In short

Git is not just a developer’s tool—it’s a foundation for code integrity. It allows teams to work in a clean, structured, and secure way. In cyber security, where even a single misstep can lead to major risks, Git provides:

Strict version control
Safe collaboration
Complete traceability

It’s not just about writing code—it’s about protecting it.

How Git and GitHub work together

When combined, Git and GitHub form a powerful system for versioning, collaborating, and protecting source code. Every file uploaded to GitHub is automatically tracked by Git, which records changes in a detailed and efficient way.

This not only helps you see who changed what and when, but also makes it possible to restore previous versions—critical when responding to bugs or attacks in cyber security projects.

Local and remote repositories: two synchronized environments

A typical development workflow includes:

A local repository, where the developer works on their machine.
A remote repository on GitHub, accessible online by the team.

Developers work locally and synchronize changes with GitHub using two key commands: push (send) and pull (receive).

Example: from local to GitHub

Imagine you’re building a script that monitors open connections on a server. First, you create a local project:

mkdir net-monitor

cd net-monitor

git init

Then, you write a simple Python script:

# monitor.py

import psutil

for conn in psutil.net_connections():

    if conn.status == "ESTABLISHED":

        print(f"Active connection: {conn.laddr} → {conn.raddr}")

You add and commit your file:

git add monitor.py

git commit -m "Initial commit: script for active connection monitoring"

Now you create a new repository on GitHub, link it to your local project, and push your code:

git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/net-monitor.git

git push -u origin main

Your code is now publicly (or privately) available and ready for collaboration, review, or integration.

Pull and push: the sync loop

In a collaborative environment, it’s essential to keep your local and remote repositories in sync.

To get updates from GitHub made by others:

git pull origin main

To send your updates to GitHub:

git push origin main

This flow helps ensure everyone on the team is working on the latest version and prevents conflicting changes.

Pull requests: review and integration

Rather than pushing changes directly to the main project branch (main), developers create a branch:

git checkout -b fix-logging

They commit their changes and push the branch:

git add logger.py

git commit -m "Improved logging to write to syslog"

git push origin fix-logging

On GitHub, the developer opens a pull request to propose merging this branch into the main project. The team can:

Review the code.
Run security or functionality tests.
Discuss and request changes.
Approve and merge the code safely.

Security in the workflow

The entire push/pull/pull request cycle is fully tracked:

Git logs the developer’s identity (name, email, and GitHub auth).
Every change has a unique commit hash.
Differences between versions can be inspected.
Merge conflicts are detected and resolved with transparency.

In cyber security, this is crucial for:

Security audits
See exactly when a function was added or changed.
Incident response
Revert quickly to a clean version after a breach.
Access control
Only trusted contributors can push, with granular permission management on GitHub.

Final example: secure collaboration

Imagine a team maintaining an open-source web firewall. The code is hosted on GitHub. A security researcher finds a potential vulnerability in the HTTP parser. Although they don’t have write access, they can:

Fork the repository.
Fix the vulnerability in their own fork.
Open a pull request explaining the issue and proposed patch.

The core team can then:

Review the code.
Test it thoroughly.
Merge it if validated.

Thanks to Git and GitHub, the project stays secure, collaborative, and transparent.

In summary, Git and GitHub work hand in hand to provide a development environment that is:

Collaborative
Controlled
Secure
Scalable

This makes them essential tools for any team developing critical software, especially in the cyber security domain.

Who uses GitHub and why

GitHub is used by:

Developers working on solo or team projects.
Researchers, students, and educators.
Cyber security professionals analyzing and reviewing open-source code.
Ethical hackers contributing to secure software development.

It has become the industry standard for version control and collaboration, helping people centralize their work, share ideas, and keep everything transparent.

In the cyber security field, GitHub is particularly useful for:

Hosting and reviewing potentially vulnerable code.
Managing and maintaining penetration testing tools.
Coordinating red team and blue team projects.
Versioning scripts used in security automation.

Where to start

If you’re new to Git and GitHub, don’t worry—getting started is easier than it looks. Your first step is to create a free GitHub account at https://github.com. With just an email and password, you’ll join one of the largest developer communities in the world.

The GitHub Flow: the basic workflow

The easiest way to get started is by following the GitHub Flow, a simple and effective process recommended by GitHub to collaborate on code. Here’s how it works, step-by-step, with examples:

1. Create a repository

A repository is like a project folder—it contains all your code, documentation, files, and the full history of changes.

You can create one directly on GitHub by clicking “New repository”, or from your terminal:

git init my-project

Then connect your local project to the GitHub remote:

git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/my-project.git

2. Create a branch

To avoid breaking the main version (main), create a branch for your work:

git checkout -b new-feature

Example
If you’re adding a module that encrypts user data, you could name the branch encryption-feature.

3. Write your code

In this branch, write your code without affecting the main version. Let’s say you want to add a password hashing function in Python:

import hashlib

def hash_password(password):

    return hashlib.sha256(password.encode()).hexdigest()

Then save and commit your changes:

git add security.py

git commit -m "Added SHA-256 password hashing function"

4. Push your branch and open a pull request

Now it’s time to push your branch to GitHub:

git push origin new-feature

Then, go to GitHub and open a pull request. This is a way to say: “Here’s what I did—can we merge it into the main code?” You can:

Describe your changes
Add screenshots or documentation
Assign reviewers

5. Review and merge

Other team members (or you, if you’re solo) can now review the code, test it, suggest changes, or approve it. Once everything looks good, you can merge the branch into main.

This can be done on GitHub or from the terminal:

git checkout main

git merge new-feature

Finally, you can delete the branch:

git branch -d new-feature

Beginner-friendly learning resources

If you’re just getting started, GitHub offers free official guides in the “Start your journey” section:

https://docs.github.com/en/get-started

You’ll learn how to:

Set up and customize your GitHub profile
Understand pull requests and branching
Contribute to open-source projects
Use GitHub Desktop (if you prefer a graphical interface)

Another great resource is the interactive tool: https://learngitbranching.js.org – it visually teaches Git branching and merging.

Ready for something real?

Try browsing GitHub for an open-source cyber security project, like:

Pick a small issue, try solving it, and send your first pull request. That’s how you join the community—by writing, reading, improving, and learning from real-world code.

Frequently asked questions

What is GitHub?
It’s a cloud platform to store and manage code using the Git system.
Is GitHub free?
Yes, it offers a free plan with full features for personal and open-source use.
What’s the difference between Git and GitHub?
Git is the version control engine. GitHub is the platform that uses Git.
How do you use GitHub?
Via the browser or with tools like GitHub Desktop, syncing with remote repositories.
Can I use GitHub without knowing Git?
Yes, but understanding Git will give you much more control.
Is GitHub secure for cyber projects?
Yes, if permissions and access controls are properly configured.
What is a pull request?
A request to merge your changes into a shared project, usually with peer review.
What does commit mean?
A commit is a saved change to your project with a message explaining it.
Can I collaborate with others on GitHub?
Yes, collaboration is one of GitHub’s core features.
Are there GitHub alternatives?
Yes, such as GitLab and Bitbucket, but GitHub is the most widely used.

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