Git vs Git BASH vs GitHub

After installing a whole bunch of programs/packages/stuff onto my computer and creating a couple of different accounts on the internet, I was ready to learn how to code in Python. My initial few weeks of coding involved blindly mimicking steps of clicking and typing to access my learning material. Eventually I got use to the routine and began to develop a sense of how everything (all the programs/packages/stuff I downloaded and the accounts I created) functions together. But I still lacked the fundamental understanding of what everything is — namely Git, Git BASH, and GitHub.

Running a quick google search on Git, Git BASH, and GitHub will lead to…

• “Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.” (quoted from https://git-scm.com/)
• Git BASH is “used to run Git from the command line.” (quoted from https://gitforwindows.org/)
• “GitHub is a code hosting platform for version control and collaboration. It lets you and others work together on projects from anywhere.” (quoted from https://guides.github.com/activities/hello-world/)

Uh... I’m hoping that I’m not the only one who was still confused after glossing over those definitions. So, let me share with you my newly found understanding of everything Git in layman’s terms!

• Git is a software that tracks changes made to the files inside a specific folder/directory.*
  Further explanation: Imagine planting a tracker inside a folder on your desktop. Anytime you add a new file, delete a file, or modify a file, the tracker will keep a log of all the changes.

“.git” is the tracker inside the folder

Tracking and adding changes after adding Hello_World.ipynb to the folder.

• Git BASH is an application that allows a user to use Git via command line.
  (Git GUI is another application that allows a user to use Git via Graphical User Interface)
  Further explanation: Git by itself as a software will not do anything until you run it, just as microsoft word will not do anything until you click the icon from the start menu to run it. Git BASH is the command line application or shell that is used to run Git.

Initializing Git (making Git begin tracking changes) with Git BASH

• Users can share or collaborate on files via internet using GitHub.
  Further explanation: After creating an account on github.com, users can start Git Repositories to share, collaborate, or privately save projects by remotely transferring data from their local computers to the online host and vice versa. This can be done via Git BASH, Git GUI, or manually through the web browser.

*Git is capable of more than just tracking changes made inside a folder/directory. However, to keep things simple for easy understanding I chose to use what I believe is the main essence of Git’s purpose.