gh

History

gh was officially released by GitHub in February 2020. The tool aims to bring the entire GitHub workflow into the terminal, making it easier to manage repositories, issues, pull requests, and other GitHub-specific features without leaving the command line. Since its release, it has quickly gained popularity and community contributions, making it one of the go-to CLI tools for GitHub.

Features and Strengths

• Official GitHub Support: Being an official tool from GitHub, gh offers seamless integration with GitHub repositories and services.

• Comprehensive Commands: gh provides commands for almost all GitHub operations, from creating repositories to managing issues and pull requests.

• Scriptable: The tool can be easily incorporated into scripts and automated workflows, providing a lot of flexibility.

• GitHub Actions Integration: gh offers built-in support for working with GitHub Actions, making CI/CD tasks more straightforward.

• Extensions: The tool supports extensions, allowing users to add more functionalities tailored to their specific needs.

Weaknesses

• Limited to GitHub: One obvious downside is that gh is GitHub-specific and not applicable to other Git services like GitLab or Bitbucket.

• Learning Curve: While it's designed to be user-friendly, there can be a learning curve for users who are new to GitHub or CLI tools.

User Reception

gh has been generally well-received, garnering thousands of stars on GitHub and becoming a common tool among developers who frequently use GitHub. Its official status gives it a level of trust and ongoing development that community-developed tools might lack.

Best Suited For

gh is ideal for developers who frequently interact with GitHub repositories and prefer doing so in a terminal environment. Whether you're a solo developer or part of a larger team, gh has features that can streamline your GitHub workflow.