A look at Github and how it helps Blockchain developers

Open source refers to software or code that is not owned by a person or company; anyone can use, contribute to and improve it for the better. For example, Linux is an open source operating system developed in the mid-nineties. To date, more than 15,000 individual developers have worked on it and improved the operating system over time.

Similarly, most popular blockchains are also open source, and GitHub is where contributors (developers) can view, modify, compare and update the project’s code. But what is GitHub, how does it work, and why is it important to the world of blockchains? Let’s find out.

What is GitHub?

In a nutshell, GitHub is the largest code hosting site in the world. It is a platform where developers can post code sequences and allow other developers from anywhere in the world to work on the project.

The platform is built on top of software known as Git, which allows users to track changes to code. Therefore, developers can track what has been changed, who changed it and when. It therefore makes it possible for developers to work on the same source code at the same time without overriding each other’s work. Incidentally, Git was developed by Linus Torvalds, one of the core developers behind the Linux operating system.

How does it work?

It’s easy. A developer can upload their code as a “repository” on GitHub. They can then assign roles and editing privileges to other contributors. Those with edit access can work with the code to improve it. The changes made to the code are known as “commits”. Developers can also ping each other with questions and participate in discussion forums, creating a collaborative atmosphere around the project.

Those without edit access can still see the code. They can also “favorite” repositories they like and post comments on the same. Users can even subscribe to different authors and project repositories for updates. Therefore, with its 12 million plus users, GitHub is in some ways similar to how a social networking platform works.

Why is GitHub important for web3 platforms?

From a practical point of view, no matter how decentralized a web3 project is, it still needs a common platform where project contributors can view, modify, compare, and ultimately update code. And this common platform is GitHub.

Most popular blockchain networks today, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stellar, Cardano and many others, are freely available on GitHub. It allows developers worldwide to contribute and constantly improve the code of the leading crypto, NFT and blockchain projects. As such, GitHub is a facilitator of the rise of the web3 industry.

GitHub has also emerged as a litmus test to evaluate interest in a crypto project. If a project has more contributors, it has gained community interest and vice versa. So the next time you hear someone say, “that meme coin you asked me to buy has zero commits in the warehouse; it looks like a scam,” you’ll know what they’re talking about. By contrast, Bitcoin has more than 35,000 commits from nearly 900 contributors since the repository went live on GitHub.

Conclusion

By allowing developers around the world to work on the code of a web3 project, GitHub facilitates the decentralized nature of digital assets. It enables developers from all corners of the world to collaborate on blockchain development. Finally, the platform also serves as a decent indicator of the community and progress of a web3 project. Therefore, all said and done, GitHub is an important component of the digital asset industry.