GitHub and GitLab: Terminology
GitHub and GitLab are both web-based platforms designed to facilitate version control and collaboration on software development projects using the Git version control system. They differ mainly in terms of their feature sets, hosting options, and target audiences.
These differences also include the terminology used on each platform. Sometimes, especially if someone uses both GitLab and GitHub, they may mistakenly use a term common to one platform when talking about another and end up confusing those around them who are less familiar. We've put together a handy list of features both platforms offer under different names so users can easily understand the equivalent features between GitLab and GitHub, reducing confusion and facilitating smoother communication and collaboration across both platforms.
| GitHub | GitLab | What does it mean? |
|---|---|---|
| Merge request (MR) | Pull-request (PR) | This is a way of combining two branches - often a "working branch" and the "main" branch. It does this in a clever way that allows you to weave the changes into the original. |
| Repository | Projects | This is a code "repository" in which you will place the code for a single project / product / piece of work. It's probably the most important part of GitHub/Lab. |
| Organisation | Groups | These enable users to organise repositories, manage access permissions, and facilitate collaboration among teams or communities, albeit with different emphases and additional features. |
| Collaborator | Member | Users with explicit access to a repository or project, enabling them to contribute and manage content. |
| Action | CI/CD | This is a way of automating your codebase - i.e. you can make it so that after each pull-request, your code gets tested, or that it gets shipped out somewhere, or that it gets deployed to a production space. The sky is the limit! |
| Package Registry | Packages & Registries | This is a way of storing a compressed and ready-to-roll version of your codebase called a "package". |
| Gists | Snippets | Allows for the sharing of single files or snippets of code, often for demonstration or quick sharing purposes. |
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