A source code repository is a project’s files and source code organized together with a record of how they have changed over time. In Git, that record is built from commits, and branches keep different lines of development organized. “Repo” is simply a common shorthand for repository.
What does a source code repository contain?
A repository brings together a software project’s files and its version history. That can include source code, documentation, and other files needed by the project—not just the latest version of its code. GitHub Docs describes its platform’s repositories as containing code, files, and each file’s revision history (About repositories).
GitHub’s description is platform-specific, but the core idea applies more broadly: a repository is associated with version control. In Git, commits record snapshots of the project, while branches organize lines of development. The files and folders are the project’s current content; the history makes it possible to see how that content changed (About Git).
Is a repository just a folder?
Not quite. A regular folder holds files, but by itself it does not record their revision history. A Git repository includes version-control data as well as the working files. GitHub Docs explains that running git init in an existing directory starts tracking it and adds the hidden data structure Git needs for version control (About Git).
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The working directory is the set of files you are currently editing. It is associated with a repository, but it is not the same thing as the complete recorded history.
How are a repository, commit, branch, and clone different?
- Repository: Project files and their version-control history.
- Commit: A saved snapshot in that history.
- Branch: A line of development represented within the repository.
- Remote repository: A repository copy stored elsewhere, such as on a hosting service.
- Clone: A local copy of a remote repository that includes its files and history.
These terms describe related parts of version control, not interchangeable names for the same thing. GitHub’s overview of Git explains commits, branches, and cloning in this context (About Git).
Is a GitHub repository the same as Git?
No. Git is a version-control system; GitHub is a service that hosts Git repositories and provides collaboration features. A repository can exist on your computer without being hosted on GitHub. When a copy is hosted elsewhere, it can be treated as a remote repository; cloning it creates a local copy with its repository data and history.
GitHub describes a repository as a place to store project files and their revision history, and its glossary includes documentation among the files a project may contain (About repositories; GitHub glossary). That does not make GitHub part of the general definition of a repository.
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Are source code repositories public?
Not necessarily. A repository may be public or private, depending on its hosting setup and access permissions. GitHub documents both visibility options and permission controls for repositories (About repositories). A local repository also need not be hosted publicly—or hosted online at all.
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