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GitHub CLI (gh)

What is it?

GitHub CLI, known by its command name gh, is an open-source tool that brings GitHub's core functionality—including issues, pull requests, releases, and repository management—directly to the terminal. It serves as a command-line interface for GitHub, allowing developers to manage their collaborative workflows without switching context between their terminal and a web browser.

In the software development ecosystem, GitHub CLI belongs to the developer productivity and collaboration layer. It complements the standard git command-line tool by providing access to the "social" and "administrative" features that GitHub layers on top of the Git version control system.

Installation (Optional)

!!! note CodeCampus OS includes GitHub CLI by default. Use the commands below only if you are installing it on a different Linux distribution.

type -p curl >/dev/null || (sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl -y)
curl -fsSL https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo dd of=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg
sudo chmod go+r /usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] https://cli.github.com/packages stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list > /dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gh -y

sudo pacman -S github-cli

sudo dnf install gh

Why this tool matters (In Depth)

The greatest enemy of developer productivity is "context switching." Every time an engineer leaves their terminal to navigate a complex web interface, they break their concentration and lose the "flow state" required for complex problem-solving. GitHub CLI matters because it consolidates the entire engineering lifecycle into the terminal.

By enabling actions like creating pull requests, checking CI/CD status, and reviewing issues through a typed interface, gh allows developers to maintain focus on their code. Furthermore, GitHub CLI is built for scripting and automation. Tasks that would require multiple manual clicks in a browser can be condensed into a single shell command or integrated into a larger automation script.

For students, mastering gh marks the transition from being a "user" of GitHub to an "engineer" on GitHub. It encourages a more disciplined, keyboard-centric approach to collaboration, significantly reducing the "overhead" of managing open-source contributions or team projects.

How students will actually use it

Students will use GitHub CLI to streamline their collaborative development:

  • Repository Initialization: Rapidly creating a new GitHub repository (gh repo create) and linking it to their local code without manual URL copying.
  • Pull Request Management: Creating, listing, and tracking the status of pull requests (gh pr create, gh pr list, gh pr status) directly from the branch they are working on.
  • CI/CD Visibility: Checking the outcome of automated tests and build actions (gh run watch) without waiting for browser notifications.
  • Issue Tracking: Creating and reviewing bug reports or task lists (gh issue create, gh issue list) as they identify them in their code.
  • Secure Authentication: Managing OAuth tokens and SSH keys (gh auth login) through a guided, secure terminal interface that eliminates the danger of manual token handling.

Professional Insight (Top 1% Knowledge)

The "Top 1%" of productive engineers use GitHub CLI to automate the mundane. A professional habit is to use aliases and scripts to perform multi-step operations. For example, a senior engineer might have a script that creates a branch, pushes code, opens a pull request, and assigns a reviewer—all with a single custom command like gh pr-ready.

Another high-level skill is using GitHub CLI Extensions. Since gh is extensible, professional developers often install community-built plugins for managing GitHub Projects, analyzing repository statistics, or integrating with specialized cloud services. This allows them to customize their CLI to fit their specific team's workflow perfectly.

Finally, a senior developer knows how to use the --json and --jq flags to filter and process GitHub data. Instead of just reading text, they can extract specific information—like the names of all open PRs with a specific label—and pipe that data into other terminal tools. This ability to treat GitHub as a queryable data source is what enables the high-level automation and reporting that defines enterprise-grade engineering. Adopting gh isn't just about speed; it's about gaining programmatic control over your collaborative ecosystem.