See "check my GitHub repo" everywhere but have no clue what people are talking about? Same here. So here's a simple explanation. What is GitHub? Think Google Drive, but for code. The big difference: it tracks a detailed history of every change. Every save-point. Every edit. By who, when, why. Why do people use it? → Version control - Want to go back to yesterday's code? No problem. → Collaboration - Multiple people on the same code without chaos → Backup - Your work is safe online → Portfolio - For developers, their GitHub is their resume What is a repo (repository)? Just a project. Building a website? That's one repo. All code, files, and history in one place. The basic flow: Create a repo (new project) Write/change code on your computer "Commit" your changes (save-point) "Push" to GitHub (upload) Others can "pull" (download) and work with it Private vs Public This one tripped me up: → Private repo = only you (and who you invite) can see it → Public repo = everyone can see and use your code For client work: ALWAYS private. Their business logic, API keys, custom flows - that shouldn't be public. Best practices you need to know: → Use branches (parallel worlds for your code - test new features separately) → Write clear commit messages ("Fixed login bug" not "fix stuff") → Create a README.md (explains what your project does) → Use .gitignore (keeps passwords and API keys out of your repo) Practical example for AI automation: You're building an AI chatbot for a client: Create repo "client-x-chatbot" (private) Claude Code writes the code Push to GitHub after each feature Client gets access (transparency) Bug? See exactly what changed New client? Copy the repo and adjust Deployment story GitHub is often the middle step: Write code → Push to GitHub → Automatic deployment to production Platforms like Vercel or Netlify deploy automatically every time you push to GitHub. This is called CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment).