Repos
You can store a variety of projects in GitHub repositories, including open source projects. With open source projects, you can share code to make better, more reliable software. You can use repositories to collaborate with others and track your work.
- In the upper-right corner of any page, use the drop-down menu, and select
New repository.
- Give your repo a new name that you haven't used before e.g.
hello-world
- Optionally, and it's good for tracking and information, add a description, like
HTML Hello World site - Choose whether it's public or private
Note If you want to make a GitHub Pages, unless you're on a Pro plan you have to set the repo to public.
- Tick initialise with
README.md- we'll get onto that later (Markdown) - Click
Create Repository
You've created your first repository! Next, add a READMD.md file.
When you create a Repo, you can either set it to be public-facing i.e any member of the public can see it, and all of the code; or private i.e. only you and specifically invited collaborators can access it. There are some pros and cons to each of these. Let's outline them here.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great for open-source, or collaborative work | Everyone can see it, so people might copy your code |
| You can use GitHub's Pages function with this | If you have API keys, and you haven't made them Secrets, people can copy and abuse them |
| Anyone can make issues and help you with your code | Personal information might be leaked if you share your code publically |
| It's a great space to store code for portfolios | Lack of control over who sees what, and who can submit Issues, et. al. |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Enhanced security - only let people in that you want to | Limited visibility and collaboration |
| Controlled collaboration - select groups of people | Hindered community egnagement |
| Intellectual property protection | Reduced code reuse and learning opportunities |
| Pre-release and beta testing | Reduced visibility for potential employers or contractors |