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Pro Git VS GitHub Desktop

Compare Pro Git VS GitHub Desktop and see what are their differences

Pro Git logo Pro Git

The Git Book is the official tutorial about Git.

GitHub Desktop logo GitHub Desktop

GitHub Desktop is a seamless way to contribute to projects on GitHub and GitHub Enterprise.
  • Pro Git Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-27
  • GitHub Desktop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-02

Pro Git features and specs

  • Comprehensive Content
    Pro Git provides extensive coverage on a wide range of topics, from basic to advanced Git functionalities, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced users.
  • Free and Open Source
    The book is available for free to read online, which makes it accessible to everyone. It is also open source, allowing the community to contribute.
  • Official Resource
    Being authored by Scott Chacon and Ben Straub, who are well-known figures in the Git community, it serves as an authoritative resource for learning Git.
  • Multiple Formats
    Available in multiple formats including HTML, PDF, ePub, and Mobi, it offers flexibility for readers to choose their preferred reading format.
  • Practical Examples
    The book includes practical examples and use-cases, making it easier to understand how to apply Git features in real-world scenarios.

Possible disadvantages of Pro Git

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive coverage, some beginners might find the depth of content overwhelming, making it challenging to grasp all concepts initially.
  • Outdated Information
    Some parts of the book might become outdated over time due to the evolving nature of Git and associated technologies. Regular updates are needed to keep it current.
  • Lack of Interactivity
    As a traditional book, it lacks interactive elements like quizzes or hands-on exercises that might be found in online courses or interactive tutorials.
  • Assumes Some Prior Knowledge
    The book assumes a basic understanding of version control concepts, which might not be suitable for absolute beginners who are new to version control systems.

GitHub Desktop features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    GitHub Desktop offers a clean, intuitive GUI that simplifies the Git process, making it accessible for beginners and less technical users.
  • Seamless GitHub Integration
    The application is tightly integrated with GitHub, allowing users to easily clone repositories, create branches, and submit pull requests directly through the desktop interface.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    GitHub Desktop is available on both Windows and macOS, offering a consistent experience across these major operating systems.
  • Simplifies Workflow
    Features like drag-and-drop to add files, visual diff tools, and easy branching help streamline the workflow for users.
  • Collaborative Features
    The app provides useful collaborative tools such as reviewing changes, creating requests, and viewing history, enhancing team productivity.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub Desktop

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While GitHub Desktop is great for basic tasks, it lacks advanced features found in other Git clients like GitKraken or the command line.
  • Dependency on GitHub
    The app is deeply integrated with GitHub, which can be limiting for users who want to interact with repositories hosted on other platforms like GitLab or Bitbucket.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report performance issues when dealing with large repositories or a significant number of files, which can hinder productivity.
  • Customization Limitations
    GitHub Desktop offers limited customization options compared to other Git clients or the command line, which may be a drawback for power users.
  • Offline Limitations
    Certain features of GitHub Desktop require an internet connection to interact with GitHub, limiting its usability in offline scenarios.

Analysis of Pro Git

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Pro Git is a highly recommended resource for learning Git. It is well-structured, easy to follow, and covers a wide range of topics suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

Why this product is good

  • Pro Git is considered a comprehensive and authoritative resource on Git. It is written by Scott Chacon and Ben Straub, who are both highly knowledgeable about Git. The book covers the basics as well as advanced topics in a clear and understandable manner. Additionally, it's available for free online, making it accessible to everyone.

Recommended for

  • Software developers who want to learn or improve their Git skills.
  • Students in computer science or related fields who need to understand version control.
  • Technical teams looking to adopt Git for version control in collaborative projects.
  • Anyone interested in open source projects that use Git as their version control system.

Pro Git videos

No Pro Git videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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GitHub Desktop videos

GitHub Desktop 2.0 -- Easy Mode Version Control

More videos:

  • Review - GitHub Desktop Quick Intro For Windows
  • Tutorial - Git and GitHub for Beginners: GitHub basics, and how to use GitHub Desktop

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pro Git and GitHub Desktop)
Git
35 35%
65% 65
Software Development
100 100%
0% 0
Code Collaboration
30 30%
70% 70
Git Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pro Git and GitHub Desktop

Pro Git Reviews

We have no reviews of Pro Git yet.
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GitHub Desktop Reviews

Best Git GUI Clients of 2022: All Platforms Included
Creating branches and switching to existing ones isnโ€™t a hassle, so is merging code with the master branch. Furthermore, you can track your changes with GitHub Desktop. Check out our detailed guide on how to use GitHub for more detailed information.
Boost Development Productivity With These 14 Git Clients for Windows and Mac
GitHub Desktop is the global standard for working with Git-related tasks in a graphical user interface (GUI). It is an open-source tool and hence completely free to use for all sorts of projects. It is available for both Windows and macOS desktops and laptops.
Source: geekflare.com
Best Git GUI Clients for Windows
GitHub Desktop is, perhaps, the most famous solution for working with Git in a visual interface. It is familiar to all developers keeping their repositories on GitHub (Git repository hosting service used for version-controlling IT projects). This free Git GUI is open-source, transparent, and functional. When you consider the Git graphical interface for Windows, GitHub...
Source: blog.devart.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pro Git should be more popular than GitHub Desktop. It has been mentiond 298 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Pro Git mentions (298)

  • Ask HN: We just had an actual UUID v4 collision...
    This reminds me of a passage from the book "Pro Git". "Hereโ€™s an example to give you an idea of what it would take to get a SHA-1 collision. If all 6.5 billion humans on Earth were programming, and every second, each one was producing code that was the equivalent of the entire Linux kernel history (6.5 million Git objects) and pushing it into one enormous Git repository, it would... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Git Under the Hood: What Actually Happens When You Commit
    If you want to go deeper into how Git actually works, the Pro Git book is the best resource out there. It is free to read online at https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2 and covers everything from basics to advanced internals. I highly recommend it if you really want to master Git. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • The Git Commands I Run Before Reading Any Code
    The relevant XKCD comic https://xkcd.com/1597/ FWIW I too was once a "memorised a few commands and that was it" type of dev, then I read 3 chapters of the Git book https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2 (well really two, the first chapter was a "these are things you already know") and wow did my life with git change. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Git Good Commits vs. Git Bad Commits: A Practical Git Guide for Developers
    โ€œThe commit command creates a new commit containing the current contents of the index and a message from the user describing the changes.โ€ Source: Git Book , https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • I spent years mastering Git, then Lazygit made me faster in a week.
    Pro Git (free book) https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2 Still the best way to really understand what Git is doing under the hood especially rebasing and reflog. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
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GitHub Desktop mentions (136)

  • You too can Git it: A beginners guide to connecting Git and GitHub
    Optional: You can also download GitHub Desktop (https://desktop.github.com) if you prefer a GUI version, but this guide focuses on Git Bash to understand the basics. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • How to Fix the Issue of Not Being Able to View Your GitHub Account on Other Devices
    Download the latest version from the GitHub Desktop website. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • 12 Steps to Organize and Maintain Your Python Codebase for Beginners
    Iโ€™m not going to dive into Git commands here โ€” you can find plenty of tutorials online. If youโ€™re not a fan of using the plain terminal CLI, you can also manage repositories with tools like GitHub Desktop or SourceTree, which provide a more visual, intuitive interface. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • File Governance and Versioning in Corticon BRMS
    Using terminal commands isnโ€™t necessary for basic adoption of Git with Corticon Studio files, though. There are various tools that will allow us to bypass the command line when defining rules, including the built-in Eclipse plugin for Git version control. If youโ€™ll be storing your assets on GitHub, though, an even easier solution is GitHub Desktop, a free desktop software that GitHub offers. It can be used in... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • An Introduction to Nix for Ruby Developers
    Nix currently is akin to git's "porcelain": powerful but esoteric. However, much like git evolved into exoteric, user-friendly tools such as git-flow, GitHub Desktop, and Tower to become user-friendly, many developers are building abstractions, wrappers, and utilities to simplify Nix usage. Let's briefly look at a few of these tools now. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pro Git and GitHub Desktop, you can also consider the following products

Learn Git Branching - "Learn Git Branching" is the most visual and interactive way to learn Git on the web; you'll be challenged with exciting levels, given step-by-step demonstrations of powerful features, and maybe even have a bit of fun along the way.

GitKraken - The intuitive, fast, and beautiful cross-platform Git client.

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

SourceTree - Mac and Windows client for Mercurial and Git.

Git - Git is a free and open source version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. It is easy to learn and lightweight with lighting fast performance that outclasses competitors.

SmartGit - SmartGit is a front-end for the distributed version control system Git and runs on Windows, Mac OS...