What is GitHub?

What it is

GitHub holds the shared copy of a project kept in Git. Changes arrive as pull requests: a teammate reads the change, comments, and approves it before it joins the main version. GitHub Actions runs automated steps, such as tests or builds, when the code changes.

A large share of public open-source projects are developed there, including many tools businesses rely on. Microsoft has owned GitHub since 2018. The closest competitor is GitLab.

Why it matters to a business

• Who owns the account and the code: code belongs in an organization account the business controls, not in an employee's personal account. If a personal account holds it, the company can lose access with that person.
• Access when staff or contractors leave: everyone with access can read, and often change, the code. Review the member list regularly and remove people the day they leave or a contract ends.
• Where secrets must not be stored: passwords, access tokens, and API keys should never be committed to a repository, even a private one, because the history keeps them. Use a proper secrets store instead.
• Backups of repositories: a hosted repository is one copy. Keep a second copy somewhere you control, and practice restoring it.

How KawaConnect works with GitHub

We publish and maintain public open-source tools on GitHub. When a client's code lives there, we work inside that client's own GitHub organization.

Before anything else we confirm the business owns that organization. Then we review the member list and remove anyone who has left.

Learn more

• GitHub on WikipediaA neutral summary of what GitHub offers and how it grew, useful for owners wanting background.
• GitHub websiteThe service itself, where you can browse public projects.
• GitHub documentationOfficial guides for organizations, access control, and Actions, written for account administrators.