Git

Git vs GitHub

This distinction trips up almost everyone starting out. Git is a program you install on your computer. It runs locally and tracks changes to your files. GitHub is a website that stores those tracked changes in the cloud.

You use Git to save your work. You use GitHub to share it, collaborate on it, or back it up remotely. Git can exist without GitHub — but GitHub requires Git to work.

The Core Loop

Working with Git follows a simple repeating cycle:

1. Make changes to your files in your editor
2. Stage the changes you want to save: git add filename or git add . for everything
3. Commit — save a snapshot with a message: git commit -m "add login page"

That's it. Over time, your commits build up a complete history of every meaningful change you've made.

Why Every Developer Uses It

Git solves real, painful problems:

• Made a change that broke everything? git revert undoes it
• Want to try a risky experiment? Create a branch so the main code stays safe
• Working with others? Git merges everyone's changes together

For AI development specifically, Git is how you track changes to your prompts, agent configs, and code. Sharing a project on GitHub means anyone can clone your exact setup.

Getting Started

Install Git from git-scm.com. Then run git init inside any folder to start tracking it.