🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 75 (from laksa023)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa075.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://kinsta.com/blog/what-is-github/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://kinsta.com/blog/what-is-github/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/what-is-github\/","crawl_time":1775961961,"first_indexed_time":1747944152,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,kinsta!\/blog\/what-is-github\/ s443","src_root_hash":"979516627414255075","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"What Is GitHub? A Beginner's Introduction to GitHub","meta_descriptions":["GitHub is a for-profit company offering a cloud-based Git repository that helps developers store, manage, track and control changes to their code."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"At a high level, GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code, as well as track and control changes to their code. To understand exactly what GitHub is, you need to know two connected principles:\nVersion control\nGit\nIn this article, we’ll first explain those two principles. Then, we’ll dig into more about GitHub and how you can actually use GitHub to work with WordPress and\/or Kinsta.\nWhat Is Version Control?\nVersion control helps developers track and manage changes to a software project’s code. As a software project grows, version control becomes essential. Take WordPress…\nAt this point, WordPress is a pretty big project. If a core developer wanted to work on one specific part of the WordPress codebase, it wouldn’t be safe or efficient to have them directly edit the “official” source code.\nInstead, version control lets developers safely work through\nbranching\nand\nmerging\n.\nWith\nbranching\n, a developer duplicates part of the source code (called the\nrepository\n). The developer can then safely make changes to that part of the code without affecting the rest of the project.\nThen, once the developer gets his or her part of the code working properly, he or she can\nmerge\nthat code back into the main source code to make it official.\nAll of these changes are then tracked and can be reverted if need be.\nWhat Is Git?\nGit is a\nspecific open-source version control system\ncreated by Linus Torvalds in 2005.\nSpecifically, Git is a\ndistributed version control system\n, which means that the entire codebase and history is available on every developer’s computer, which allows for easy branching and merging.\nAccording to a\nStack Overflow developer survey\n, over 87% of developers use Git.\nWhat Is GitHub?\nGitHub is a for-profit company that offers a cloud-based Git repository hosting service. Essentially, it makes it a lot easier for individuals and teams to use Git for version control and collaboration.\nGitHub’s interface is user-friendly enough so even novice coders can take advantage of Git. Without GitHub, using Git generally requires a bit more technical savvy and use of the command line.\nGitHub is so user-friendly, though, that some people even use GitHub to manage other types of projects –\nlike writing books\n.\nAdditionally, anyone can sign up and host a public code repository for free, which makes GitHub especially popular with open-source projects.\nAs a company, GitHub makes money by selling hosted private code repositories, as well as other business-focused plans that make it easier for organizations to manage team members and security. We utilize Github extensively at Kinsta to manage and develop internal projects.\nThe GitHub homepage\nExploring The GitHub Interface\nTo give you a basic understanding of what the GitHub interface looks like, here’s the WordPress source code\nhosted at a GitHub repository\n:\nThe WordPress code at GitHub\nFrom here, you can view the various branches that are being worked on, as well as when someone made a\ncommit\n(\nthis is kind of like “saving” a file\n). Depending on how a repository is set up, you also might be able to create your own\nbranch\nand make your own\ncommits\nthere.\nAnd once you made some changes, you could submit that code back to a branch by making a\npull request\n. A pull request is basically asking the person in charge of the branch to include your code. And it also helps that person see exactly what you’ve changed in the code.\nIf you wanted to edit some or all of the WordPress source code on your own account on a more permanent basis, you could also\nfork\nit by clicking the\nFork\nbutton (a fork is similar in concept to a\nbranch\n, but a fork is more permanent):\nAn example of forking code\nWordPress itself was\noriginally a fork of b2\/cafelog\n. If you want a bit more information on how you can use GitHub,\nGitHub’s Hello World guide\noffers a beginner-friendly tutorial for getting started.\nHow To Use Git And GitHub At Kinsta\nKinsta offers a Git client so that you can\nuse SSH\nto pull down your own Git repository from GitHub (\nor other similar services\n).\nIf you’re interested in using Git or GitHub at Kinsta, please\nread this help article for full instructions\n.\nOther Ways To Use Git And GitHub With WordPress\nMany WordPress theme and plugin developers host their projects’ source code at GitHub. For example, you can view the\nElementor page builder code\n, the\nZerif Lite theme source code\n, and lots more.\nBut there are also WordPress plugins that help you use Git with WordPress more directly.\nFor example,\nVersionPress\naims to bring the power of Git to regular WordPress actions, like updating a post or installing a plugin. VersionPress adds version control for both your\nWordPress database\nand files.\nVersionPress\nWP Pusher\nis another Git-based plugin that lets you deploy themes and plugins directly from GitHub to your WordPress site.\nHow To Get Started With GitHub\nTo get started with GitHub:\nSign up\nfor a free GitHub account\nFollow the\nGitHub Hello World guide\nto understand the most popular actions you’ll likely want to take\nRead:\nWordPress Version Control (What It Is and Best Solutions)\nRead:\nGit vs Github: What’s the Difference and How to Get Started with Both \nJeremy Holcombe\nKinsta\nSenior Editor at Kinsta, WordPress Web Developer, and Content Writer. Outside of all things WordPress, I enjoy the beach, golf, and movies. I also have tall people problems.\nLinkedIn","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/what-is-github\/#main)\n\n[Try Kinsta Now - First Month Free\\!](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/pricing\/)\n\n[Kinsta®](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/)\n\n[Navigation](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/what-is-github\/#nav)\n\n- [Platform](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/what-is-github\/#megamenu-item-0__child)\n  ###### WordPress highlights\n  - [Managed hosting for WordPress](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/)\n  - [Free site migrations](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/migration\/)\n  - [Automatic Updates](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/add-ons\/kinsta-automatic-updates\/)\n  - [Edge caching](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/edge-caching\/)\n  - [APM tool](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/apm-tool\/)\n  - [WordPress Add-ons](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/add-ons\/)\n  - [Cloudflare integration](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/cloudflare-integration\/)\n  - [Security & backups](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/security\/)\n  - [Expert support](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/kinsta-support\/)\n  \n  ###### Platform extensions\n  - [DevKinsta](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/devkinsta\/)\n  - [API](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/docs\/kinsta-api\/)\n  \n  ###### Sevalla\n  - [Application hosting](https:\/\/sevalla.com\/application-hosting\/)\n  - [Database hosting](https:\/\/sevalla.com\/database-hosting\/)\n  - [Static site hosting](https:\/\/sevalla.com\/static-site-hosting\/)\n  \n  ###### What's New\n  - [![](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kinsta-api-endpoints-for-wp-admin-login-800x400.png)](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/changelog\/kinsta-api-apr-2026\/)\n    \n    ## [Manage WordPress Admin auto-login users with the Kinsta API](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/changelog\/kinsta-api-apr-2026\/)\n  - [More changelogs](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/changelog\/)\n- [Solutions](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/what-is-github\/#megamenu-item-1__child)\n  ###### Who we serve\n  - [Agency](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/agencies\/)\n  - [Small business](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/small-business\/)\n  - [Enterprise](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/enterprise\/)\n  - [Education](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/education\/)\n  - [WooCommerce store](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/woocommerce\/)\n  - [Non-profit organization](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/nonprofits\/)\n  - [Single high-resource site](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/single-sites\/)\n  \n  ###### Partnership programs\n  - [Affiliate Program](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/affiliates\/)\n  - [Agency Partner Program](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/agency-partner-program\/)\n  \n  ###### Case studies\n  - [![](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/case-study-jaladesign-800x400.png)](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/clients\/jala-design\/)\n    \n    ## [How Jala Design enforces a non-negotiable reliability standard for its clients](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/clients\/jala-design\/)\n  - [More case studies](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/clients\/)\n- [Pricing](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/pricing\/)\n- [Resources](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/what-is-github\/#megamenu-item-3__child)\n  ###### Explore\n  - [Resource Center](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/resources\/)\n  - [Blog](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/)\n  - [Docs](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/docs\/)\n  - [Changelog](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/changelog\/)\n  - [Agency Growth Insights](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/agency-growth-insights\/)\n  \n  ###### Tools & insights\n  - [Kinsta vs. the competition](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/kinsta-alternatives\/)\n  - [Development tools](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/tools\/)\n  - [System Status](https:\/\/status.kinsta.com\/)\n  \n  ###### Latest Articles\n  - [![](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/how-hosting-impacts-wordpress-performance-during-partial-failures-800x400.png)](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/wordpress-performance-partial-failures\/)\n    \n    ## [How WordPress hosting handles partial failures (APIs, CDNs, and third-party scripts)](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/wordpress-performance-partial-failures\/)\n  - [More blog posts](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/)\n- [Contact](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/what-is-github\/#megamenu-item-4__child)\n  - [Contact us   Via phone, email or WhatsApp](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/contact-us\/)\n  \n  - [Talk to sales   Talk to one of our hosting experts](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/talk-to-sales\/)\n  \n  - [Ask the community   The Kinsta community is here to help](https:\/\/community.kinsta.com\/)\n\n[Login](https:\/\/my.kinsta.com\/login\/?lang=en)   [Try for free](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/signup\/wp\/)\n\n1. [Home](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/)\n2. [Resource Center](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/resources\/)\n3. [Blog](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/)\n4. [Cloud Hosting](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/topic\/cloud-hosting\/)\n5. What Is GitHub? A Beginner’s Introduction to GitHub\n# What Is GitHub? A Beginner’s Introduction to GitHub\nAuthor\n\n[Jeremy Holcombe](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/author\/jeremyholcombe\/ \"Posts by Jeremy Holcombe\")\n\nUpdated\n\nMarch 20, 2026\n\n![what is github](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/what-is-github-1-1-1024x512.png)\n\nAt a high level, GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code, as well as track and control changes to their code. To understand exactly what GitHub is, you need to know two connected principles:\n\n- Version control\n- Git\n\nIn this article, we’ll first explain those two principles. Then, we’ll dig into more about GitHub and how you can actually use GitHub to work with WordPress and\/or Kinsta.\n\n## What Is Version Control?\nVersion control helps developers track and manage changes to a software project’s code. As a software project grows, version control becomes essential. Take WordPress…\n\nAt this point, WordPress is a pretty big project. If a core developer wanted to work on one specific part of the WordPress codebase, it wouldn’t be safe or efficient to have them directly edit the “official” source code.\n\nInstead, version control lets developers safely work through **branching** and **merging**.\n\nWith **branching**, a developer duplicates part of the source code (called the **repository**). The developer can then safely make changes to that part of the code without affecting the rest of the project.\n\nThen, once the developer gets his or her part of the code working properly, he or she can **merge** that code back into the main source code to make it official.\n\nAll of these changes are then tracked and can be reverted if need be.\n\n## What Is Git?\nGit is a **specific open-source version control system** created by Linus Torvalds in 2005.\n\nSpecifically, Git is a **distributed version control system**, which means that the entire codebase and history is available on every developer’s computer, which allows for easy branching and merging.\n\nAccording to a [Stack Overflow developer survey](https:\/\/insights.stackoverflow.com\/survey\/2018\/#work-version-control), over 87% of developers use Git.\n\n## What Is GitHub?\nGitHub is a for-profit company that offers a cloud-based Git repository hosting service. Essentially, it makes it a lot easier for individuals and teams to use Git for version control and collaboration.\n\nGitHub’s interface is user-friendly enough so even novice coders can take advantage of Git. Without GitHub, using Git generally requires a bit more technical savvy and use of the command line.\n\nGitHub is so user-friendly, though, that some people even use GitHub to manage other types of projects – [like writing books](http:\/\/braythwayt.com\/2015\/01\/29\/how-i-write-books-with-github-and-leanpub.html).\n\nAdditionally, anyone can sign up and host a public code repository for free, which makes GitHub especially popular with open-source projects.\n\nAs a company, GitHub makes money by selling hosted private code repositories, as well as other business-focused plans that make it easier for organizations to manage team members and security. We utilize Github extensively at Kinsta to manage and develop internal projects.\n\n![The GitHub homepage](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/what-is-github-0.png)\n\nThe GitHub homepage\n## Exploring The GitHub Interface\nTo give you a basic understanding of what the GitHub interface looks like, here’s the WordPress source code [hosted at a GitHub repository](https:\/\/github.com\/WordPress\/WordPress):\n\n![The WordPress code at GitHub](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/what-is-github-1.png)\n\nThe WordPress code at GitHub\n\nFrom here, you can view the various branches that are being worked on, as well as when someone made a **commit** (*this is kind of like “saving” a file*). Depending on how a repository is set up, you also might be able to create your own **branch** and make your own **commits** there.\n\nAnd once you made some changes, you could submit that code back to a branch by making a **pull request**. A pull request is basically asking the person in charge of the branch to include your code. And it also helps that person see exactly what you’ve changed in the code.\n\nIf you wanted to edit some or all of the WordPress source code on your own account on a more permanent basis, you could also **fork** it by clicking the **Fork** button (a fork is similar in concept to a **branch**, but a fork is more permanent):\n\n![An example of forking code](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/what-is-github-2.png)\n\nAn example of forking code\n\nWordPress itself was [originally a fork of b2\/cafelog](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/learn\/wordpress-history\/). If you want a bit more information on how you can use GitHub, [GitHub’s Hello World guide](https:\/\/guides.github.com\/activities\/hello-world\/) offers a beginner-friendly tutorial for getting started.\n\n## How To Use Git And GitHub At Kinsta\nKinsta offers a Git client so that you can [use SSH](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/docs\/wordpress-hosting\/connect-to-ssh\/) to pull down your own Git repository from GitHub (*or other similar services*).\n\nIf you’re interested in using Git or GitHub at Kinsta, please [read this help article for full instructions](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/docs\/wordpress-hosting\/site-management\/git\/).\n\n## Other Ways To Use Git And GitHub With WordPress\nMany WordPress theme and plugin developers host their projects’ source code at GitHub. For example, you can view the [Elementor page builder code](https:\/\/github.com\/elementor\/elementor), the [Zerif Lite theme source code](https:\/\/github.com\/Codeinwp\/zerif-lite), and lots more.\n\nBut there are also WordPress plugins that help you use Git with WordPress more directly.\n\nFor example, [VersionPress](https:\/\/versionpress.com\/) aims to bring the power of Git to regular WordPress actions, like updating a post or installing a plugin. VersionPress adds version control for both your [WordPress database](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/wordpress-database\/) and files.\n\n![VersionPress](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/versionpress.png)\n\nVersionPress\n\n[WP Pusher](https:\/\/wppusher.com\/) is another Git-based plugin that lets you deploy themes and plugins directly from GitHub to your WordPress site.\n\n## How To Get Started With GitHub\nTo get started with GitHub:\n\n- [Sign up](https:\/\/github.com\/join) for a free GitHub account\n- Follow the [GitHub Hello World guide](https:\/\/docs.github.com\/en\/get-started\/quickstart\/hello-world) to understand the most popular actions you’ll likely want to take\n- Read: [WordPress Version Control (What It Is and Best Solutions)](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/wordpress-version-control\/)\n- Read: [Git vs Github: What’s the Difference and How to Get Started with Both](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/git-vs-github\/)\n\n***\nPower your site with Kinsta’s Managed WordPress hosting, crafted for speed, security, and simplicity. With Kinsta, you get:\n\n- Effortless control in the MyKinsta dashboard\n- Unlimited free migrations, handled by our expert migrations team\n- 24\/7\/365 support from WordPress experts\n- Powerful cloud infrastructure and cutting-edge servers\n- Enterprise-grade security through Cloudflare integration\n- Global reach with 27 data centers\n\nEnjoy your [first month free](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/pricing\/)\\!\n\n![](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/avatar\/0e17001f3bb37dbbe54fceef9bb547fa?s=160&d=mm&r=g)\n\nJeremy Holcombe [Kinsta](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/)\n\nSenior Editor at Kinsta, WordPress Web Developer, and Content Writer. Outside of all things WordPress, I enjoy the beach, golf, and movies. I also have tall people problems.\n\n- [LinkedIn](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jeremyholcombe\/)\n\n## Related Articles and Topics\n[![](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/marketing-a-mobile-app-360x180.jpg)](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/marketing-a-mobile-app\/)\n\n## [Marketing a Mobile App: 13 Advanced Tactics You Need to Know](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/marketing-a-mobile-app\/)\nDiscover why marketing a mobile app with a cohesive strategy is essential and learn 13 advanced tactics to reach your target audience.\n\nReading time\n\n16 min read\n\nUpdated date\n\nSeptember 24, 2024\n\nPost type\n\nBlog\n\nTopic\n\nContent Strategy\n\nTopic\n\nOnline Marketing Tips\n\n[![](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/kinsta-wordpress-hosting-en-800x400.jpg)](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/)\n\n## [Powerful Managed Hosting for WordPress](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/)\n200% faster WordPress sites. Global data centres. Free SSL & DDoS protection. 24\/7\/365 expert support. Switch to Kinsta and get your first month free\\!\n\nReading time\n\n8 min read\n\nUpdated date\n\nMarch 30, 2026\n\nPost type\n\nPage\n\nContent type\n\nVideo\n\n- [SEO](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/seo\/)\n- [WordPress](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress\/)\n- [Database](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/database\/)\n- [Content Management Systems](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/content-management-systems\/)\n\n- ### Products\n  - [Managed Hosting for WordPress](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/)\n  - [Pricing](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/pricing\/)\n  - [Sevalla by Kinsta](https:\/\/sevalla.com\/)\n  - [Web Application Hosting](https:\/\/sevalla.com\/application-hosting\/)\n  - [Managed Database Hosting](https:\/\/sevalla.com\/database-hosting\/)\n  - [Static Site Hosting](https:\/\/sevalla.com\/static-site-hosting\/)\n- ### Feature highlights\n  - [Kinsta Automatic Updates](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/add-ons\/kinsta-automatic-updates\/)\n  - [Cloudflare integration](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/cloudflare-integration\/)\n  - [Kinsta API](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/docs\/kinsta-api\/)\n  - [Expert support](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/kinsta-support\/)\n  - [Free WordPress migrations](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/migration\/)\n  - [APM tool](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/apm-tool\/)\n  - [DevKinsta](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/devkinsta\/)\n  - [Edge Caching](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/edge-caching\/)\n  - [Dedicated Hosting for WordPress](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/dedicated\/)\n  - [Add-ons](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/add-ons\/)\n- ### Use cases\n  - [Enterprise](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/enterprise\/)\n  - [Agency](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/agencies\/)\n  - [Education](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/education\/)\n  - [WooCommerce store](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/woocommerce\/)\n  - [Small business](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/small-business\/)\n  - [Non-profit organization](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/nonprofits\/)\n  - [Single high-resource site](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-hosting\/single-sites\/)\n  - [Case studies](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/clients\/)\n- ### Resources\n  - [Documentation](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/docs\/)\n  - [Changelog](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/changelog\/)\n  - [Blog](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/)\n  - [Kinsta Newsletter](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wordpress-newsletter\/)\n  - [Development tools](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/tools\/)\n  - [Kinsta vs competitors](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/kinsta-alternatives\/)\n  - [Agency directory](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/agency-directory\/)\n  - [System Status](https:\/\/status.kinsta.com\/)\n  - [All resources](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/resources\/)\n- ### Company\n  - [About us](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/about-us\/)\n  - [Why choose Kinsta](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/why-us\/)\n  - [Careers](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/careers\/)\n  - [Partners](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/partners\/)\n  - [Affiliate program](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/affiliates\/)\n  - [Agency Partner Program](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/agency-partner-program\/)\n  - [Press](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/press\/)\n  - [Security and trust](https:\/\/trust.kinsta.com\/)\n  - [Legal and Privacy](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/legal\/)\n  - [Contact Us](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/contact-us\/)\n\n#### We take security and privacy seriously\nLearn more about  [security and compliance at Kinsta](https:\/\/trust.kinsta.com\/)\n\n- SOC 2 Type II\n- ISO 27001\n- GDPR\n- CCPA\n\n- [Kinsta on GitHub](https:\/\/github.com\/kinsta\/)\n- [Kinsta on Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/kinsta)\n- [Kinsta on YouTube](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/kinsta)\n- [Kinsta on Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kinstahosting)\n- [Kinsta on LinkedIn](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/kinsta\/)\n\nSwitch language\n\n© 2013 - 2026 Kinsta Inc. All rights reserved. Kinsta®, MyKinsta®, DevKinsta®, and Sevalla® are trademarks owned by Kinsta Inc. The WordPress® trademark is the intellectual property of the WordPress Foundation, and the Woo® and WooCommerce® trademarks are the intellectual property of WooCommerce, Inc. Uses of the WordPress®, Woo®, and WooCommerce® names in this website are for identification purposes only and do not imply an endorsement by WordPress Foundation or WooCommerce, Inc. Kinsta is not endorsed or owned by, or affiliated with, the WordPress Foundation or WooCommerce, Inc.","attrs_readable_markdown":"At a high level, GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code, as well as track and control changes to their code. To understand exactly what GitHub is, you need to know two connected principles:\n\n- Version control\n- Git\n\nIn this article, we’ll first explain those two principles. Then, we’ll dig into more about GitHub and how you can actually use GitHub to work with WordPress and\/or Kinsta.\n\n## What Is Version Control?\nVersion control helps developers track and manage changes to a software project’s code. As a software project grows, version control becomes essential. Take WordPress…\n\nAt this point, WordPress is a pretty big project. If a core developer wanted to work on one specific part of the WordPress codebase, it wouldn’t be safe or efficient to have them directly edit the “official” source code.\n\nInstead, version control lets developers safely work through **branching** and **merging**.\n\nWith **branching**, a developer duplicates part of the source code (called the **repository**). The developer can then safely make changes to that part of the code without affecting the rest of the project.\n\nThen, once the developer gets his or her part of the code working properly, he or she can **merge** that code back into the main source code to make it official.\n\nAll of these changes are then tracked and can be reverted if need be.\n\n## What Is Git?\nGit is a **specific open-source version control system** created by Linus Torvalds in 2005.\n\nSpecifically, Git is a **distributed version control system**, which means that the entire codebase and history is available on every developer’s computer, which allows for easy branching and merging.\n\nAccording to a [Stack Overflow developer survey](https:\/\/insights.stackoverflow.com\/survey\/2018\/#work-version-control), over 87% of developers use Git.\n\n## What Is GitHub?\nGitHub is a for-profit company that offers a cloud-based Git repository hosting service. Essentially, it makes it a lot easier for individuals and teams to use Git for version control and collaboration.\n\nGitHub’s interface is user-friendly enough so even novice coders can take advantage of Git. Without GitHub, using Git generally requires a bit more technical savvy and use of the command line.\n\nGitHub is so user-friendly, though, that some people even use GitHub to manage other types of projects – [like writing books](http:\/\/braythwayt.com\/2015\/01\/29\/how-i-write-books-with-github-and-leanpub.html).\n\nAdditionally, anyone can sign up and host a public code repository for free, which makes GitHub especially popular with open-source projects.\n\nAs a company, GitHub makes money by selling hosted private code repositories, as well as other business-focused plans that make it easier for organizations to manage team members and security. We utilize Github extensively at Kinsta to manage and develop internal projects.\n\n![The GitHub homepage](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/what-is-github-0.png)\n\nThe GitHub homepage\n## Exploring The GitHub Interface\nTo give you a basic understanding of what the GitHub interface looks like, here’s the WordPress source code [hosted at a GitHub repository](https:\/\/github.com\/WordPress\/WordPress):\n\n![The WordPress code at GitHub](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/what-is-github-1.png)\n\nThe WordPress code at GitHub\n\nFrom here, you can view the various branches that are being worked on, as well as when someone made a **commit** (*this is kind of like “saving” a file*). Depending on how a repository is set up, you also might be able to create your own **branch** and make your own **commits** there.\n\nAnd once you made some changes, you could submit that code back to a branch by making a **pull request**. A pull request is basically asking the person in charge of the branch to include your code. And it also helps that person see exactly what you’ve changed in the code.\n\nIf you wanted to edit some or all of the WordPress source code on your own account on a more permanent basis, you could also **fork** it by clicking the **Fork** button (a fork is similar in concept to a **branch**, but a fork is more permanent):\n\n![An example of forking code](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/what-is-github-2.png)\n\nAn example of forking code\n\nWordPress itself was [originally a fork of b2\/cafelog](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/learn\/wordpress-history\/). If you want a bit more information on how you can use GitHub, [GitHub’s Hello World guide](https:\/\/guides.github.com\/activities\/hello-world\/) offers a beginner-friendly tutorial for getting started.\n\n## How To Use Git And GitHub At Kinsta\nKinsta offers a Git client so that you can [use SSH](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/docs\/wordpress-hosting\/connect-to-ssh\/) to pull down your own Git repository from GitHub (*or other similar services*).\n\nIf you’re interested in using Git or GitHub at Kinsta, please [read this help article for full instructions](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/docs\/wordpress-hosting\/site-management\/git\/).\n\n## Other Ways To Use Git And GitHub With WordPress\nMany WordPress theme and plugin developers host their projects’ source code at GitHub. For example, you can view the [Elementor page builder code](https:\/\/github.com\/elementor\/elementor), the [Zerif Lite theme source code](https:\/\/github.com\/Codeinwp\/zerif-lite), and lots more.\n\nBut there are also WordPress plugins that help you use Git with WordPress more directly.\n\nFor example, [VersionPress](https:\/\/versionpress.com\/) aims to bring the power of Git to regular WordPress actions, like updating a post or installing a plugin. VersionPress adds version control for both your [WordPress database](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/wordpress-database\/) and files.\n\n![VersionPress](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/versionpress.png)\n\nVersionPress\n\n[WP Pusher](https:\/\/wppusher.com\/) is another Git-based plugin that lets you deploy themes and plugins directly from GitHub to your WordPress site.\n\n## How To Get Started With GitHub\nTo get started with GitHub:\n\n- [Sign up](https:\/\/github.com\/join) for a free GitHub account\n- Follow the [GitHub Hello World guide](https:\/\/docs.github.com\/en\/get-started\/quickstart\/hello-world) to understand the most popular actions you’ll likely want to take\n- Read: [WordPress Version Control (What It Is and Best Solutions)](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/wordpress-version-control\/)\n- Read: [Git vs Github: What’s the Difference and How to Get Started with Both](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/git-vs-github\/)\n\nJeremy Holcombe [Kinsta](https:\/\/kinsta.com\/)\n\nSenior Editor at Kinsta, WordPress Web Developer, and Content Writer. Outside of all things WordPress, I enjoy the beach, golf, and movies. I also have tall people problems.\n\n- [LinkedIn](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jeremyholcombe\/)","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	At a high level, GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code, as well as track and control changes to their code. To understand exactly what GitHub is, you need to know two connected principles: Version control Git In this article, we’ll first explain those two principles. Then, we’ll dig into more about GitHub and how you can actually use GitHub to work with WordPress and/or Kinsta. What Is Version Control? Version control helps developers track and manage changes to a software project’s code. As a software project grows, version control becomes essential. Take WordPress… At this point, WordPress is a pretty big project. If a core developer wanted to work on one specific part of the WordPress codebase, it wouldn’t be safe or efficient to have them directly edit the “official” source code. Instead, version control lets developers safely work through branching and merging . With branching , a developer duplicates part of the source code (called the repository ). The developer can then safely make changes to that part of the code without affecting the rest of the project. Then, once the developer gets his or her part of the code working properly, he or she can merge that code back into the main source code to make it official. All of these changes are then tracked and can be reverted if need be. What Is Git? Git is a specific open-source version control system created by Linus Torvalds in 2005. Specifically, Git is a distributed version control system , which means that the entire codebase and history is available on every developer’s computer, which allows for easy branching and merging. According to a Stack Overflow developer survey , over 87% of developers use Git. What Is GitHub? GitHub is a for-profit company that offers a cloud-based Git repository hosting service. Essentially, it makes it a lot easier for individuals and teams to use Git for version control and collaboration. GitHub’s interface is user-friendly enough so even novice coders can take advantage of Git. Without GitHub, using Git generally requires a bit more technical savvy and use of the command line. GitHub is so user-friendly, though, that some people even use GitHub to manage other types of projects – like writing books . Additionally, anyone can sign up and host a public code repository for free, which makes GitHub especially popular with open-source projects. As a company, GitHub makes money by selling hosted private code repositories, as well as other business-focused plans that make it easier for organizations to manage team members and security. We utilize Github extensively at Kinsta to manage and develop internal projects. The GitHub homepage Exploring The GitHub Interface To give you a basic understanding of what the GitHub interface looks like, here’s the WordPress source code hosted at a GitHub repository : The WordPress code at GitHub From here, you can view the various branches that are being worked on, as well as when someone made a commit ( this is kind of like “saving” a file ). Depending on how a repository is set up, you also might be able to create your own branch and make your own commits there. And once you made some changes, you could submit that code back to a branch by making a pull request . A pull request is basically asking the person in charge of the branch to include your code. And it also helps that person see exactly what you’ve changed in the code. If you wanted to edit some or all of the WordPress source code on your own account on a more permanent basis, you could also fork it by clicking the Fork button (a fork is similar in concept to a branch , but a fork is more permanent): An example of forking code WordPress itself was originally a fork of b2/cafelog . If you want a bit more information on how you can use GitHub, GitHub’s Hello World guide offers a beginner-friendly tutorial for getting started. How To Use Git And GitHub At Kinsta Kinsta offers a Git client so that you can use SSH to pull down your own Git repository from GitHub ( or other similar services ). If you’re interested in using Git or GitHub at Kinsta, please read this help article for full instructions . Other Ways To Use Git And GitHub With WordPress Many WordPress theme and plugin developers host their projects’ source code at GitHub. For example, you can view the Elementor page builder code , the Zerif Lite theme source code , and lots more. But there are also WordPress plugins that help you use Git with WordPress more directly. For example, VersionPress aims to bring the power of Git to regular WordPress actions, like updating a post or installing a plugin. VersionPress adds version control for both your WordPress database and files. VersionPress WP Pusher is another Git-based plugin that lets you deploy themes and plugins directly from GitHub to your WordPress site. How To Get Started With GitHub To get started with GitHub: Sign up for a free GitHub account Follow the GitHub Hello World guide to understand the most popular actions you’ll likely want to take Read: WordPress Version Control (What It Is and Best Solutions) Read: Git vs Github: What’s the Difference and How to Get Started with Both Jeremy Holcombe Kinsta Senior Editor at Kinsta, WordPress Web Developer, and Content Writer. Outside of all things WordPress, I enjoy the beach, golf, and movies. I also have tall people problems. LinkedIn
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://kinsta.com/blog/what-is-github/#main) [Try Kinsta Now - First Month Free\!](https://kinsta.com/pricing/) [Kinsta®](https://kinsta.com/) [Navigation](https://kinsta.com/blog/what-is-github/#nav) - [Platform](https://kinsta.com/blog/what-is-github/#megamenu-item-0__child) ###### WordPress highlights - [Managed hosting for WordPress](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/) - [Free site migrations](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/migration/) - [Automatic Updates](https://kinsta.com/add-ons/kinsta-automatic-updates/) - [Edge caching](https://kinsta.com/edge-caching/) - [APM tool](https://kinsta.com/apm-tool/) - [WordPress Add-ons](https://kinsta.com/add-ons/) - [Cloudflare integration](https://kinsta.com/cloudflare-integration/) - [Security & backups](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/security/) - [Expert support](https://kinsta.com/kinsta-support/) ###### Platform extensions - [DevKinsta](https://kinsta.com/devkinsta/) - [API](https://kinsta.com/docs/kinsta-api/) ###### Sevalla - [Application hosting](https://sevalla.com/application-hosting/) - [Database hosting](https://sevalla.com/database-hosting/) - [Static site hosting](https://sevalla.com/static-site-hosting/) ###### What's New - [![](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/kinsta-api-endpoints-for-wp-admin-login-800x400.png)](https://kinsta.com/changelog/kinsta-api-apr-2026/) ## [Manage WordPress Admin auto-login users with the Kinsta API](https://kinsta.com/changelog/kinsta-api-apr-2026/) - [More changelogs](https://kinsta.com/changelog/) - [Solutions](https://kinsta.com/blog/what-is-github/#megamenu-item-1__child) ###### Who we serve - [Agency](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/agencies/) - [Small business](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/small-business/) - [Enterprise](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/enterprise/) - [Education](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/education/) - [WooCommerce store](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/woocommerce/) - [Non-profit organization](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/nonprofits/) - [Single high-resource site](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/single-sites/) ###### Partnership programs - [Affiliate Program](https://kinsta.com/affiliates/) - [Agency Partner Program](https://kinsta.com/agency-partner-program/) ###### Case studies - [![](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/case-study-jaladesign-800x400.png)](https://kinsta.com/clients/jala-design/) ## [How Jala Design enforces a non-negotiable reliability standard for its clients](https://kinsta.com/clients/jala-design/) - [More case studies](https://kinsta.com/clients/) - [Pricing](https://kinsta.com/pricing/) - [Resources](https://kinsta.com/blog/what-is-github/#megamenu-item-3__child) ###### Explore - [Resource Center](https://kinsta.com/resources/) - [Blog](https://kinsta.com/blog/) - [Docs](https://kinsta.com/docs/) - [Changelog](https://kinsta.com/changelog/) - [Agency Growth Insights](https://kinsta.com/agency-growth-insights/) ###### Tools & insights - [Kinsta vs. the competition](https://kinsta.com/kinsta-alternatives/) - [Development tools](https://kinsta.com/tools/) - [System Status](https://status.kinsta.com/) ###### Latest Articles - [![](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/how-hosting-impacts-wordpress-performance-during-partial-failures-800x400.png)](https://kinsta.com/blog/wordpress-performance-partial-failures/) ## [How WordPress hosting handles partial failures (APIs, CDNs, and third-party scripts)](https://kinsta.com/blog/wordpress-performance-partial-failures/) - [More blog posts](https://kinsta.com/blog/) - [Contact](https://kinsta.com/blog/what-is-github/#megamenu-item-4__child) - [Contact us Via phone, email or WhatsApp](https://kinsta.com/contact-us/) - [Talk to sales Talk to one of our hosting experts](https://kinsta.com/talk-to-sales/) - [Ask the community The Kinsta community is here to help](https://community.kinsta.com/) [Login](https://my.kinsta.com/login/?lang=en) [Try for free](https://kinsta.com/signup/wp/) 1. [Home](https://kinsta.com/) 2. [Resource Center](https://kinsta.com/resources/) 3. [Blog](https://kinsta.com/blog/) 4. [Cloud Hosting](https://kinsta.com/topic/cloud-hosting/) 5. What Is GitHub? A Beginner’s Introduction to GitHub # What Is GitHub? A Beginner’s Introduction to GitHub Author [Jeremy Holcombe](https://kinsta.com/blog/author/jeremyholcombe/ "Posts by Jeremy Holcombe") Updated March 20, 2026 ![what is github](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/what-is-github-1-1-1024x512.png) At a high level, GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code, as well as track and control changes to their code. To understand exactly what GitHub is, you need to know two connected principles: - Version control - Git In this article, we’ll first explain those two principles. Then, we’ll dig into more about GitHub and how you can actually use GitHub to work with WordPress and/or Kinsta. ## What Is Version Control? Version control helps developers track and manage changes to a software project’s code. As a software project grows, version control becomes essential. Take WordPress… At this point, WordPress is a pretty big project. If a core developer wanted to work on one specific part of the WordPress codebase, it wouldn’t be safe or efficient to have them directly edit the “official” source code. Instead, version control lets developers safely work through branching and merging. With branching, a developer duplicates part of the source code (called the repository). The developer can then safely make changes to that part of the code without affecting the rest of the project. Then, once the developer gets his or her part of the code working properly, he or she can merge that code back into the main source code to make it official. All of these changes are then tracked and can be reverted if need be. ## What Is Git? Git is a specific open-source version control system created by Linus Torvalds in 2005. Specifically, Git is a distributed version control system, which means that the entire codebase and history is available on every developer’s computer, which allows for easy branching and merging. According to a [Stack Overflow developer survey](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018/#work-version-control), over 87% of developers use Git. ## What Is GitHub? GitHub is a for-profit company that offers a cloud-based Git repository hosting service. Essentially, it makes it a lot easier for individuals and teams to use Git for version control and collaboration. GitHub’s interface is user-friendly enough so even novice coders can take advantage of Git. Without GitHub, using Git generally requires a bit more technical savvy and use of the command line. GitHub is so user-friendly, though, that some people even use GitHub to manage other types of projects – [like writing books](http://braythwayt.com/2015/01/29/how-i-write-books-with-github-and-leanpub.html). Additionally, anyone can sign up and host a public code repository for free, which makes GitHub especially popular with open-source projects. As a company, GitHub makes money by selling hosted private code repositories, as well as other business-focused plans that make it easier for organizations to manage team members and security. We utilize Github extensively at Kinsta to manage and develop internal projects. ![The GitHub homepage](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/what-is-github-0.png) The GitHub homepage ## Exploring The GitHub Interface To give you a basic understanding of what the GitHub interface looks like, here’s the WordPress source code [hosted at a GitHub repository](https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress): ![The WordPress code at GitHub](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/what-is-github-1.png) The WordPress code at GitHub From here, you can view the various branches that are being worked on, as well as when someone made a commit (this is kind of like “saving” a file). Depending on how a repository is set up, you also might be able to create your own branch and make your own commits there. And once you made some changes, you could submit that code back to a branch by making a pull request. A pull request is basically asking the person in charge of the branch to include your code. And it also helps that person see exactly what you’ve changed in the code. If you wanted to edit some or all of the WordPress source code on your own account on a more permanent basis, you could also fork it by clicking the Fork button (a fork is similar in concept to a branch, but a fork is more permanent): ![An example of forking code](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/what-is-github-2.png) An example of forking code WordPress itself was [originally a fork of b2/cafelog](https://kinsta.com/learn/wordpress-history/). If you want a bit more information on how you can use GitHub, [GitHub’s Hello World guide](https://guides.github.com/activities/hello-world/) offers a beginner-friendly tutorial for getting started. ## How To Use Git And GitHub At Kinsta Kinsta offers a Git client so that you can [use SSH](https://kinsta.com/docs/wordpress-hosting/connect-to-ssh/) to pull down your own Git repository from GitHub (or other similar services). If you’re interested in using Git or GitHub at Kinsta, please [read this help article for full instructions](https://kinsta.com/docs/wordpress-hosting/site-management/git/). ## Other Ways To Use Git And GitHub With WordPress Many WordPress theme and plugin developers host their projects’ source code at GitHub. For example, you can view the [Elementor page builder code](https://github.com/elementor/elementor), the [Zerif Lite theme source code](https://github.com/Codeinwp/zerif-lite), and lots more. But there are also WordPress plugins that help you use Git with WordPress more directly. For example, [VersionPress](https://versionpress.com/) aims to bring the power of Git to regular WordPress actions, like updating a post or installing a plugin. VersionPress adds version control for both your [WordPress database](https://kinsta.com/blog/wordpress-database/) and files. ![VersionPress](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/versionpress.png) VersionPress [WP Pusher](https://wppusher.com/) is another Git-based plugin that lets you deploy themes and plugins directly from GitHub to your WordPress site. ## How To Get Started With GitHub To get started with GitHub: - [Sign up](https://github.com/join) for a free GitHub account - Follow the [GitHub Hello World guide](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/hello-world) to understand the most popular actions you’ll likely want to take - Read: [WordPress Version Control (What It Is and Best Solutions)](https://kinsta.com/blog/wordpress-version-control/) - Read: [Git vs Github: What’s the Difference and How to Get Started with Both](https://kinsta.com/blog/git-vs-github/) *** Power your site with Kinsta’s Managed WordPress hosting, crafted for speed, security, and simplicity. With Kinsta, you get: - Effortless control in the MyKinsta dashboard - Unlimited free migrations, handled by our expert migrations team - 24/7/365 support from WordPress experts - Powerful cloud infrastructure and cutting-edge servers - Enterprise-grade security through Cloudflare integration - Global reach with 27 data centers Enjoy your [first month free](https://kinsta.com/pricing/)\! ![](https://kinsta.com/avatar/0e17001f3bb37dbbe54fceef9bb547fa?s=160&d=mm&r=g) Jeremy Holcombe [Kinsta](https://kinsta.com/) Senior Editor at Kinsta, WordPress Web Developer, and Content Writer. Outside of all things WordPress, I enjoy the beach, golf, and movies. I also have tall people problems. - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyholcombe/) ## Related Articles and Topics [![](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/marketing-a-mobile-app-360x180.jpg)](https://kinsta.com/blog/marketing-a-mobile-app/) ## [Marketing a Mobile App: 13 Advanced Tactics You Need to Know](https://kinsta.com/blog/marketing-a-mobile-app/) Discover why marketing a mobile app with a cohesive strategy is essential and learn 13 advanced tactics to reach your target audience. Reading time 16 min read Updated date September 24, 2024 Post type Blog Topic Content Strategy Topic Online Marketing Tips [![](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/kinsta-wordpress-hosting-en-800x400.jpg)](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/) ## [Powerful Managed Hosting for WordPress](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/) 200% faster WordPress sites. Global data centres. Free SSL & DDoS protection. 24/7/365 expert support. Switch to Kinsta and get your first month free\! Reading time 8 min read Updated date March 30, 2026 Post type Page Content type Video - [SEO](https://kinsta.com/seo/) - [WordPress](https://kinsta.com/wordpress/) - [Database](https://kinsta.com/database/) - [Content Management Systems](https://kinsta.com/content-management-systems/) - ### Products - [Managed Hosting for WordPress](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/) - [Pricing](https://kinsta.com/pricing/) - [Sevalla by Kinsta](https://sevalla.com/) - [Web Application Hosting](https://sevalla.com/application-hosting/) - [Managed Database Hosting](https://sevalla.com/database-hosting/) - [Static Site Hosting](https://sevalla.com/static-site-hosting/) - ### Feature highlights - [Kinsta Automatic Updates](https://kinsta.com/add-ons/kinsta-automatic-updates/) - [Cloudflare integration](https://kinsta.com/cloudflare-integration/) - [Kinsta API](https://kinsta.com/docs/kinsta-api/) - [Expert support](https://kinsta.com/kinsta-support/) - [Free WordPress migrations](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/migration/) - [APM tool](https://kinsta.com/apm-tool/) - [DevKinsta](https://kinsta.com/devkinsta/) - [Edge Caching](https://kinsta.com/edge-caching/) - [Dedicated Hosting for WordPress](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/dedicated/) - [Add-ons](https://kinsta.com/add-ons/) - ### Use cases - [Enterprise](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/enterprise/) - [Agency](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/agencies/) - [Education](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/education/) - [WooCommerce store](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/woocommerce/) - [Small business](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/small-business/) - [Non-profit organization](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/nonprofits/) - [Single high-resource site](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/single-sites/) - [Case studies](https://kinsta.com/clients/) - ### Resources - [Documentation](https://kinsta.com/docs/) - [Changelog](https://kinsta.com/changelog/) - [Blog](https://kinsta.com/blog/) - [Kinsta Newsletter](https://kinsta.com/wordpress-newsletter/) - [Development tools](https://kinsta.com/tools/) - [Kinsta vs competitors](https://kinsta.com/kinsta-alternatives/) - [Agency directory](https://kinsta.com/agency-directory/) - [System Status](https://status.kinsta.com/) - [All resources](https://kinsta.com/resources/) - ### Company - [About us](https://kinsta.com/about-us/) - [Why choose Kinsta](https://kinsta.com/why-us/) - [Careers](https://kinsta.com/careers/) - [Partners](https://kinsta.com/partners/) - [Affiliate program](https://kinsta.com/affiliates/) - [Agency Partner Program](https://kinsta.com/agency-partner-program/) - [Press](https://kinsta.com/press/) - [Security and trust](https://trust.kinsta.com/) - [Legal and Privacy](https://kinsta.com/legal/) - [Contact Us](https://kinsta.com/contact-us/) #### We take security and privacy seriously Learn more about [security and compliance at Kinsta](https://trust.kinsta.com/) - SOC 2 Type II - ISO 27001 - GDPR - CCPA - [Kinsta on GitHub](https://github.com/kinsta/) - [Kinsta on Twitter](https://twitter.com/kinsta) - [Kinsta on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/kinsta) - [Kinsta on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/kinstahosting) - [Kinsta on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/kinsta/) Switch language © 2013 - 2026 Kinsta Inc. 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Readable Markdown	At a high level, GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code, as well as track and control changes to their code. To understand exactly what GitHub is, you need to know two connected principles: - Version control - Git In this article, we’ll first explain those two principles. Then, we’ll dig into more about GitHub and how you can actually use GitHub to work with WordPress and/or Kinsta. ## What Is Version Control? Version control helps developers track and manage changes to a software project’s code. As a software project grows, version control becomes essential. Take WordPress… At this point, WordPress is a pretty big project. If a core developer wanted to work on one specific part of the WordPress codebase, it wouldn’t be safe or efficient to have them directly edit the “official” source code. Instead, version control lets developers safely work through branching and merging. With branching, a developer duplicates part of the source code (called the repository). The developer can then safely make changes to that part of the code without affecting the rest of the project. Then, once the developer gets his or her part of the code working properly, he or she can merge that code back into the main source code to make it official. All of these changes are then tracked and can be reverted if need be. ## What Is Git? Git is a specific open-source version control system created by Linus Torvalds in 2005. Specifically, Git is a distributed version control system, which means that the entire codebase and history is available on every developer’s computer, which allows for easy branching and merging. According to a [Stack Overflow developer survey](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018/#work-version-control), over 87% of developers use Git. ## What Is GitHub? GitHub is a for-profit company that offers a cloud-based Git repository hosting service. Essentially, it makes it a lot easier for individuals and teams to use Git for version control and collaboration. GitHub’s interface is user-friendly enough so even novice coders can take advantage of Git. Without GitHub, using Git generally requires a bit more technical savvy and use of the command line. GitHub is so user-friendly, though, that some people even use GitHub to manage other types of projects – [like writing books](http://braythwayt.com/2015/01/29/how-i-write-books-with-github-and-leanpub.html). Additionally, anyone can sign up and host a public code repository for free, which makes GitHub especially popular with open-source projects. As a company, GitHub makes money by selling hosted private code repositories, as well as other business-focused plans that make it easier for organizations to manage team members and security. We utilize Github extensively at Kinsta to manage and develop internal projects. ![The GitHub homepage](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/what-is-github-0.png) The GitHub homepage ## Exploring The GitHub Interface To give you a basic understanding of what the GitHub interface looks like, here’s the WordPress source code [hosted at a GitHub repository](https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress): ![The WordPress code at GitHub](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/what-is-github-1.png) The WordPress code at GitHub From here, you can view the various branches that are being worked on, as well as when someone made a commit (this is kind of like “saving” a file). Depending on how a repository is set up, you also might be able to create your own branch and make your own commits there. And once you made some changes, you could submit that code back to a branch by making a pull request. A pull request is basically asking the person in charge of the branch to include your code. And it also helps that person see exactly what you’ve changed in the code. If you wanted to edit some or all of the WordPress source code on your own account on a more permanent basis, you could also fork it by clicking the Fork button (a fork is similar in concept to a branch, but a fork is more permanent): ![An example of forking code](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/what-is-github-2.png) An example of forking code WordPress itself was [originally a fork of b2/cafelog](https://kinsta.com/learn/wordpress-history/). If you want a bit more information on how you can use GitHub, [GitHub’s Hello World guide](https://guides.github.com/activities/hello-world/) offers a beginner-friendly tutorial for getting started. ## How To Use Git And GitHub At Kinsta Kinsta offers a Git client so that you can [use SSH](https://kinsta.com/docs/wordpress-hosting/connect-to-ssh/) to pull down your own Git repository from GitHub (or other similar services). If you’re interested in using Git or GitHub at Kinsta, please [read this help article for full instructions](https://kinsta.com/docs/wordpress-hosting/site-management/git/). ## Other Ways To Use Git And GitHub With WordPress Many WordPress theme and plugin developers host their projects’ source code at GitHub. For example, you can view the [Elementor page builder code](https://github.com/elementor/elementor), the [Zerif Lite theme source code](https://github.com/Codeinwp/zerif-lite), and lots more. But there are also WordPress plugins that help you use Git with WordPress more directly. For example, [VersionPress](https://versionpress.com/) aims to bring the power of Git to regular WordPress actions, like updating a post or installing a plugin. VersionPress adds version control for both your [WordPress database](https://kinsta.com/blog/wordpress-database/) and files. ![VersionPress](https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/versionpress.png) VersionPress [WP Pusher](https://wppusher.com/) is another Git-based plugin that lets you deploy themes and plugins directly from GitHub to your WordPress site. ## How To Get Started With GitHub To get started with GitHub: - [Sign up](https://github.com/join) for a free GitHub account - Follow the [GitHub Hello World guide](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/hello-world) to understand the most popular actions you’ll likely want to take - Read: [WordPress Version Control (What It Is and Best Solutions)](https://kinsta.com/blog/wordpress-version-control/) - Read: [Git vs Github: What’s the Difference and How to Get Started with Both](https://kinsta.com/blog/git-vs-github/) Jeremy Holcombe [Kinsta](https://kinsta.com/) Senior Editor at Kinsta, WordPress Web Developer, and Content Writer. Outside of all things WordPress, I enjoy the beach, golf, and movies. I also have tall people problems. - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyholcombe/)
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