hub

History

hub was one of the earlier CLI tools aimed at providing GitHub functionality in the terminal. Although it's not an official GitHub product, it has been widely used and was one of the go-to CLI tools before GitHub released their official gh CLI. The project has been open-source from the start and has received contributions from a large number of community members.

Features and Strengths

• GitHub Operations in Terminal: hub extends git to understand GitHub-specific commands, so you can do things like cloning repositories, creating pull requests, and forking, all without leaving the terminal.

• Aliases: hub can alias any GitHub-related git command, making it a quick and customizable tool.

• Scriptable: Like gh, hub can be scripted and is often used in automation and CI/CD processes.

• Pull Request Creation: One of the standout features is the ability to create pull requests directly from the terminal, including opening them in a text editor for more complex descriptions.

Weaknesses

• **Limited in Comparison to gh: Since the official release of gh, hub has been somewhat eclipsed in terms of features and official support.

• Learning Curve: If you’re not familiar with GitHub's specific features, there might be a slight learning curve to using hub effectively.

User Reception

hub has been generally well-received in the developer community, especially before the introduction of GitHub's official gh CLI. Its GitHub repository has several thousand stars, indicating its popularity.

Best Suited For

hub is well-suited for developers who are familiar with GitHub's features and are looking for a way to interact with them directly from the command line. It is also suitable for those who have existing workflows built around hub and have not yet migrated to gh.